The First Door Opens
by White Grandpa
Summary: A chronicle of the fall of the Hallow Bastion into darkness, from the points of view of younger Cloud, Squall, and many others. [I'm not dead, Chapter 5 is up.]
1. Social Customs of the Common Teenager

1- The Social Customs of the Common Teenager

"So seriously, you got nothing?"

Two teenage boys, ages 15 and 16 stood in a giant field, sparring with two kendo sticks amid a sea of other pairs.  Each was wearing an identical uniform: long sleeved purple shirts under thin chain mail and tight black pants.  The shorter one had spiky blonde hair, and seemed very nimble.  His slashes and parries were quick and smooth; as beautiful to watch as they were effective.  His foot work was as excellent as his swordplay.  He had a cocky style, and used many unneeded twirlings of his "sword" as he deflected the attacks of his opponent.

"How many times do I have to tell you?  Nothing."

The other boy was a few inches taller, and had gentle brown hair that swayed in the weak breeze that skittered across the field.  He had deep brown eyes that always seemed to be looking inward, a trait that scared away most girls and never did help him make friends.  His slashes were cunning and sharp; well thought-out and tactical.  Where the beauty of the former boy's style could be seen by anyone, only the most deeply intellectual mathematicians and chess masters could truly appreciate the wondrous technique of this second boy.  He was still, however, always a step behind the first.

"I still don't believe you.  This girl is pining over you.  _Pining_."

The brown-haired boy aimed an over-head slash at the blonde, but it was easily deflected to the side.  The blonde boy didn't wait for his opponent to recover from the unexpected parry, and spun fully around once and, while crouching, cut down the legs of his opponent.

"Whatever…"  He did not stay on the ground for long, but immediately jumped to his feet to try again.

"C'mon, how can you not see the beauty of this situation.  Just look at her, she's gorgeous."  He cocked his head toward the other side of the field, where the girl in question was struggling in vain to control her kendo stick.  She had shoulder length black hair with a few wisps of light brown down her part.  Her partner was laughing uncontrollably at the rueful manipulation of this representation of a beautiful weapon.  The second girl had short cropped black hair, and was a few years younger than the first.

"Drop it, Strife, okay?  I don't want to… _date_ her."  The word stuck in his mouth and made him feel sick.  Rinoa was loud and annoying, and her looks didn't change that much, in the boy's mind.  He was never much for the social customs of the common teenager, anyway.  

The two boys continued to exchange blows until the first broke the brief silence.  "Fine, just don't say I didn't warn you.  A girl that looks like that isn't gonna sit and wait for you forever, Leonhart."

"Company, attention!"  A man in full suit of armor stood on one side of the field.  All the fencers immediately put away their weapons and stood up straight, facing their instructor.  "Most of you are doing very well.  Private Strife, nice parry.  Private Heartilly, I should fail you right now.  And I would, if I had the authority…"

The focus of the boy's discussion went bright red and looked down at her shoes.  The boys both thought the comment to be ridiculously unfair, sword training was a mandatory class for anyone going into any branch of defense, even if they were to be studying magic, like in Rinoa's case.  However, everyone knew that Instructor Garland held animosity towards the Heartilly family.

"… but luckily for you the entire class must spar in the presence of Lord Ansem to determine whether they pass or fail this course.  I wish you the best of luck when taking this class again next year, Heartilly."

"Now wait a- mmf!"  Luckily for Rinoa, her friend Yuffie covered her mouth before she could say anything drastic, and Instructor Garland never even noticed Rinoa's small outburst.

"Some of you," Garland continued, "have been selected to be considered for Top Ranks."  Becoming a Top Rank was a very big deal for new recruits to the academy.  Initiation into the top ranks usually meant a shorter training period before being put into the actual military, and the status in itself was a chick magnet, many boys thought.  A murmur spread across the field as the instructor took a list from his pocket.  "The chosen are as follows:  Seifer Almasy…"

A small group of students in the back row applauded wildly as an arrogant looking boy of 16 with short blonde hair made extravagant bows.  He looked at Rinoa and smiled, then shot a look of satisfaction towards…

"Squall Leonhart…"  Squall returned the look, only to receive a bitter face from Siefer.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rinoa clapping for him much louder than the rest of the class.  Strife mouthed 'Congrats, Leonhart!'

"Freya Crescent…" 

 Few people clapped, and Siefer mused, just loud enough for everyone to overhear, "Well the White Knights are obviously lowering their standards, letting a rat in!"

"Now now…" The rebuttal came from Rinoa.  "Don't be mad at Freya just because you're ashamed of your tail!"  Siefer shot Rinoa daggers, but she just smiled triumphantly as she saw Freya's tail twitch in thanks.

"And finally, Cloud Strife."  Many cheered for Cloud, since he was well liked by most of his cohorts.  Siefer and his gang were an exception, but they never paid as much attention to Cloud as they did to Squall.  Siefer took the fact that he and Squall both wielded a gunblade to be a personal insult, and never failed to challenge Squall when he though it might get the quiet boy in trouble.  Cloud's friend Tifa cheered for him the loudest, and Cloud smiled at her in appreciation.  She melted.

"Now don't forget," Garland continued, this time addressing only the candidates for Top Ranks, "you must complete an interview with Lord Ansem himself, and, if you pass, you must show your skills to a panel of judges a week from Thursday.  Those who pass this test will achieve the status of Top Ranks given by the great General Sephiroth himself."

Everyone heard him, but none knew if they should believe him.  The great general had been gone for over five years on a crusade for the White Knights of the Hallow Bastion.  Had he really returned?  Cloud was more fascinated by the general than anyone else.  He always dreamed to fight under Sephiroth's command, but he had been assumed dead about a year ago.  This news flooded Cloud's thoughts and he hardly noticed when, minutes later, everyone starting leaving towards the changing rooms.  Squall's pat on the back awoke Cloud from his daydream and they began to walk away.

"Heartilly, get over here, now!"  Garland was obviously upset, and as usual, it was with Rinoa.  Squall walked right passed her, but Cloud noticed that he slowed his pace in order to hear the conversation.  "Don't think that I didn't hear that sly remark you made to Almasy!"

"But sir, I was only standing-"

"No interrupting!  That comment was totally uncalled for, and for punishment I'm going to have to-"

"Can I help you, good Instructor Garland?"  It was the Commander for Incoming Troops, Zack Ebony.  He liked his position, and it showed through in the kind way he treated his upcoming soldiers.  He had spiky black hair, much like Cloud's only more rampant and unmanageable, and wielded a very large sword.  He had immense strength, but was a softy on the inside.  Many of the female troops had an undeniable crush on him.

"Ah!  Commander Ebony!  This girl-"

"I'll handle it from here, thank you."

"Uh… erm… yes.  Thank you, sir."  And with that, Garland retreated to his office, extremely glad to be able to spend the rest of his afternoon doing nothing but thinking about various ways to punish Rinoa Heartilly.

"So," Zack addressed Rinoa, "was it Siefer?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did you say to him?"

"I kindly informed him that he was a rat," Rinoa responded honestly.

"Hmm… Fair enough.  See you tomorrow morning, Heartilly."

Rinoa smiled as she ran happily up to the girls changing room.  She looked at Squall and for a moment their eyes locked.

"Awww… you're _blushing."_

"Shut it, Strife."

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

"He's obviously not interested, so I'm just going to leave him alone,"  Rinoa explained.  Her friends had been urging her to make something of her infatuation with Squall for weeks now, but Rinoa was terribly unsure of how to go about such things.  Most of the time, guys talked to her, but this one was… different.

"Oh, since when is the great and fearless Rinoa Heartilly afraid to talk to a boy?" Yuffie mocked.  She was changing out of the horribly uncomfortable training attire and into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt.  Perfect clothing for the nice weather they'd been having.  "I had to stop you from getting yourself killed by Instructor Garland and you can't ask a shy boy on a date?  Gawd…"

"You know, Rin, you'd better catch him while he's still there.  That boy's lookin' better every day."  The voice came from Rikku, another of Rinoa's friends and Freya's partner in the day's exercises.  Rikku's clothing was remarkably similar to Yuffie's, aside from differences in color.  It was understandable, though, since Rikku was raised by Yuffie's father after her family died ten years ago in the Great War.  She had vibrant green eyes, and shoulder-length blonde hair tied up on the top of her head.  "You wait too 

much longer and I may just try and take him myself," Rikku smiled, "isn't that right Tifa?"

Tifa nodded shyly.  She never was big on girl talk, and found her heart a difficult subject to speak about in any situation.  Besides, she didn't have a whole lot to add in this conversation.  None of the girls in the room would really make a move on Squall.  They were just hoping that with their pushing, Rinoa would finally make a move herself.

"I saw him fell Cloud once today, at the beginning of class."

All the girls were surprised at the sudden appearance of Freya, who nearly never spoke to anyone.  She was one of the few demi-humans in the Hallow Bastion, and grew up in the poor section of town.  She was so agile that she was offered a scholarship for the Academy of the White Knights, and took up on the offer without looking back, although her parents hadn't spoken to her since.  She was one of the few students who lived on the castle grounds, and rarely communicated to anyone but Cloud.

"That is pretty impressive," Rinoa was the first to respond.

"Don't worry, Rinoa, you don't have any more competition."  Rinoa smiled, and she was sure she could see Freya smiling under her scarf, too.  "I just wanted to… thank you for earlier… with Siefer."

"It was my pleasure, Siefer's a-"

"prick," Yuffie offered.  The whole group laughed at Yuffie's comment, and when they regained themselves Freya was gone.

"Nice girl.  Strange, but a nice girl," Tifa noted.  

"So, about this boy…" Rikku menacingly returned to the original conversation.

"Ahhggg…"  Rinoa threw on her sleeveless blue coat and flew out the door, exasperated.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

"So, about this girl…" Cloud began menacingly.  He knew his friend was too introverted for his own good, and he thought that Rinoa might be able to open him up a bit.  He was hoping all Squall needed was a good girl by his side.

"Strife, enough about the girl."  He was changing back into his normal clothes: black pants, a white t-shirt and a short black jacket with short sleeves.  Squall had an odd style, but he certainly didn't look like a guy you would want to pick a fight with.  He took his gunblade out of his locker and, after making sure it wasn't loaded, sheathed it on his belt.    

Squall was regularly commended on being one of the two gunblade specialists in the academy.  The gunblade had a handle resembling a revolver, but rather than a barrel the weapon had a sword-length blade from the end of it.  A gunblade can be loaded with charges (Squall's blade held eight rounds) and by pulling the trigger on the handle the blade would light up with an explosive force, devastating anything it touched.  It was an extremely difficult weapon to master, but Squall had taken an instant liking to the weapon when he first picked one up years prior.

He quickly thought of a way to change the subject: "So do you think General Sephiroth is really back?  All that was left of his troops returned last year after their huge loss at Wutai."

"If anyone can fight his way out of the middle of Wutai, it's Sephiroth," Cloud quickly defended.  "I can't wait to be able to meet with him.  Do you think he would let me spar with him?" Cloud asked Squall, blue eyes alight.

Cloud had been compared to Sephiroth in terms of fighting skill on more than one occasion.  Sephiroth was the greatest warrior to ever go through the academy.  He took an instant liking in all forms of combat, from tactics, to swordplay, and magic.  Though officially classified as a warrior years ago, he continued to studied magic and became more powerful than many mages.  Ever since he left on Ansem's crusade after the Great War, he had become a legend, and was said to have converted half the world to the ways of the Light.  But two years prior, Sephiroth's regime got into a skirmish with Wutai, the main adversary during the great war.  They fought valiantly for almost a year, but could not take the whole of the Wutai army, and came back broken and defeated.  Sephiroth had been lost during the retreat.

"Not a chance," Squall responded.  He didn't entertain the foolish fantasies of others.

"Well, let's get out of here, or I'm gonna be late."  Cloud quickly finished changing.  He was wearing black slacks and a long sleeve, button-up dress shirt.  He held a coat in his arm.

"Why are you dressed so nice?" Squall inquired, expecting it to have something to do with himself and Rinoa.

"Going out for drinks with Rikku, wanna come?"  Cloud only asked because he knew Squall's response already.

"…No.  See you," he mumbled as he walked out of the locker room.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"Woah, what's with the duds?" Rikku gasped incredulously when Cloud walked into the restruant.  Cloud and Rikku had been friends for about a year.  They met when their trainers started dating, and scheduling their sessions at the practice field for the same time.  For being grown-ups, Cloud thought they were acting extremely childishly.

"Well, you said you didn't want Squall to come, right?  I know my friend, and I know that if I want him to not show up anywhere, I tell him you've got to dress up,"  Cloud answered as intelligently as he could, which just meant cocky.

"I see, so where does he think you are?" Rikku asked, with more than a hint of her flirtatious nature in her voice.

"Right here, having drinks with you… thanks," he said to the waitress, giving him his drink that Rikku had, apparently ordered.  "I'm sure he thinks were on a date."  Cloud smiled.  He really didn't have any feelings for Rikku, but there were worse looking people in the world to be pretending to date, he thought.  Rikku felt exactly the same.

"I'm sure," she smiled.  "But, onto business.  So how are we going to get these two together, Cloud?  Cloud.  …Cloud?  Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Wha..?  Oh, sorry.  I'm very… distracted at the moment."  He nodded his head behind Rikku, where a very pretty girl with long chestnut hair sat at the bar.  She was wearing a simple pink dress and had a big bow in her hair.  It were her eyes that Cloud fell for, though, big and green and with an undeniable look of innocence in them.  She looked like she had been waiting for someone that wasn't going to show up, judging by the look of forlorn in her eyes and the way she swirled her ice water with her finger.

"You always have to fall for the innocent ones, don't you?  I'm not sure about her, Cloud… it's the bow."  Rikku always enjoyed critiquing the objects of her friend's affection, and this new girl obviously received no special treatment.  "But seriously, we can talk about your crushes later.  We need to figure out how to get Squall and-"

"Rinoa!"  Cloud yelled.

"Yes, and Rinoa toge-"

"Hi Rinoa, how are you?!" Cloud loudly asked the very confused looking girl standing in the entrance of the restaurant.

"Fine…" she answered suspiciously.  "Hey Rikku, I thought you were going to go practice?"  Rinoa's eyes darted back and forth between Rikku and Cloud, not sure what to make of the situation.  Cloud was dressed awfully nice.

"Ummm… yeah, but, uhhh… Cloud here needed to talk about… what is it you wanted to talk about, Cloud?"

"What?!  Oh, I, uhhh…"

Rinoa smiled with satisfaction.  "Oh, I get it.  Sorry you two, I'll go head off somewhere else for the afternoon.  See you tomorrow, Rikku, Cloud!"  And with that Rinoa confidently walked out of the building and skipped up the street.

Cloud and Rikku sat with their mouths wide open, unable to decide how to treat the situation.  Cloud looked at the pretty girl at the bar, who caught his eyes and looked away with a fake smile on her face.  Then she turned around and walked out the door.

"Well, that sucked," Cloud stated obviously.

"How about we continue this conversation later, after I think of something to tell Rin?" she suggested.  Squall thinking they were dating was one thing, he never talked to anyone.  Rinoa thinking that, however, could do serious damage to their social lives.  She always told everyone this sort of stuff.

"Sounds great."

The two walked hurriedly in opposite directions out of the building without saying farewells, quickly escaping from the awkwardness of the event.  Cloud knew everything would be alright, though, and he closed his eyes and smiled at the image of the beautiful girl at the bar inside his head.  Oh yes, he'd have to get to know that one.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

Squall and Cloud were walking home a few days later when it finally happened.  Cloud saw her first, running to catch up to them.  "Want me to get lost?" Cloud calmly asked, knowing that Rinoa must have finally gotten up her nerve to talk to Squall.

"Whatever."

"I knew you would say that," Cloud said as he smiled and turned to walk away.

So this was finally going to happen, Squall thought.  That annoying girl was going to just walk up and try and talk to him like she'd known him all his life, and expect some sort of connection.  She was getting closer.  He didn't know how to deal with girls, he'd never had to before.  Most of them had the sense to realize he was avoiding attention, not playing the cute shy boy that Rinoa probably thought.  Now he was going to have to just tell her off and break her heart.  She was getting closer.  'Why me?' Squall thought.

Rinoa ran up to Squall and without stopping, waved and continued on running shouting "Wait!  Wait!"

Squall didn't know what to think, but whatever was inside him didn't make him feel good.  He saw Rinoa run up to his best friend, who was obviously surprised at this short turn of events.  Squall was too far to hear what they were saying, but he watched the two anyway, unable to take his eyes off of the unfolding events.

"Wait!  Cloud, I thought I would never catch up to you!" she started.

"Yeah… me two," Cloud responded unsurely, not confident on what to say to her.

"Listen, I know why you and Rikku were having drinks!  She told me yesterday.  I just wanted to say that I apologize for thinking too quickly, but you guys didn't have to be so secretive about that!" she stated happily, putting her hands on her hips.  It was funny, Cloud thought.  Rikku said they had to keep their meeting secret since Rinoa would be very angry if she found out she was being set up.  She was a free spirit, and hated stuff like that.

"Oh, and you're not angry?" Cloud asked, undeniably relieved.  'This is going much better than I thought it would!' he thought.

"Not at all!  I would _love_ it if you tutored me!"  Rinoa was obviously excited, and probably just excited enough to not notice Cloud's moment of confusion before covering for himself.  So Rikku said he would help Rinoa with her fighting.  He was amazed at Rikku's quick thinking.  In mid-thought Rinoa gave him a big, quick hug.

"Great!" he said, recomposing himself after her display of unexpected affection, trying to figure out when he could possibly have the time to do something like that.  "When would you like to practice?"

"Ummm… well, what are you doing now?" she asked, looking around the street, possibly seeing if anyone was watching them.

"Actually me and Squall…" he trailed off as he looked where Squall used to be standing.  He had walked off himself.  'Shit,' he thought.  "Well, I guess I'm not doing anything anymore!  Let's just go back to my place and get some equipment."

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"Hey, good job!" Cloud resounded.  He was absolutely amazed at how much Rinoa was improving after just one session with him.  He had never paid much attention to Instructor Garland's lessons since he knew what he was doing, but after hearing them reiterated through Rinoa, he realized why Garland held no actual place in the military.  "As long as you forget everything that idiot taught you, I think you'll pass the sparring test next Friday."

"Really?  Oh my God, I thought I was going to have to take the whole class again next year!"  Rinoa was ecstatic, and was smiling brilliantly while jumping up and down.  Cloud smiled at her and turned to get their water.  He was amazed that Squall hadn't made a move on her yet, she was beautiful.  'Actually,' Cloud thought, 'If I hadn't seen that girl in the bar today I'd be all over Rin now.'

He gave her some water, and they sat in silence for a few minutes.  She obviously had something on her mind, but didn't know how to say it.  Finally, she just started talking: "Thanks… for the water I mean.

"Listen, I have to admit, I was really happy when I found out you would tutor me a bit, but I was also excited that I'd get to talk to you for a while."  She paused, but Cloud said nothing, not sure on where she was going.  "Fine, I'll just ask you.  How does Squall feel about me?"  She couldn't even look Cloud in the eye as she asked.

Cloud laughed out loud, and Rinoa gave him the dirtiest look she could muster.  "No, no, I'm not laughing at you!" Cloud assured her.  He was amazed that he and Rikku had to go through so much trouble to cover up their meeting, only to have Rinoa jump through the hoops all by herself.  He realized that his delayed answer was causing her to worry, so he told her. "Rin, he's always talking about how you're annoying, and a pain in the ass, and that you don't know when to keep your mouth shut-"

"Well, the last one I can understand, but the other two are ridiculous!  My first point is that-"

"Stop it!  I'm not done!" Cloud laughed at her.  "Like I said, you don't know when to keep your mouth shut!  But I've seen the way he looks at you, and you can't fake that look.  He's head over heels for you, _but_ I doubt he'd admit that to anyone, especially you."

Rinoa smiled coyly to herself, and sat still for a few minutes.  Cloud cleaned up the ground where they had held their practice session, and disposed of the bottles of water and the dinner plates they had used up.  When he was done, he stood in front of a very content Rinoa, and she said:

"Well, I like a challenge."


	2. The General Returns

**2- The General Returns**

Squall took the long way home that afternoon.  He had renounced any romantic interest in Rinoa for as long as he could remember, but seeing her run up to Cloud and hug him was more than he could take.  So Squall did what he always did when he was down: he took a long walk along the castle walls.  They didn't let people who weren't staff or guards around the edge of the castle, but it hadn't been patrolled in years and Squall knew the sections that nobody walked around.  He just snuck up and casually walked around like he usually did.

 He stopped after a while to watch the sunset.  It was beautiful, the sun was setting right beyond the Rising Falls, turning the whole valley into a myriad of colors as the ice separated the light like so many prisms.  It made him think.

He didn't think Cloud would ever do anything to hurt him, and looking back he could see that Cloud did look surprised when Rinoa hugged him.  Or maybe this was a new thing; Cloud had mentioned that she was gorgeous and that someone would take her if Squall didn't act.  But it wasn't like Cloud to be dishonest with him, he was always so straight forward.  So Squall sat on the railing, looking out onto the sea of colors below, and thought.  By the time he left, it was well into the night.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

I must have been about midnight when Squall finally got to his street.  He was in no hurry, and no one ever waited up for him at home.  His parents had died during the Great War like Rikku's, and he lived with his half-sister Ellone and his uncle Laguna.  They all got along fine, and worried about Squall when he left for so long, but they were so accustomed to it that no one lost any sleep over it.  He was about to turn down the pathway to his door when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Rough night, eh Squall?"  Snickers from a small gang of people could be heard in a dark corner.

'Great, the whole squad's here,' Squall thought.  He turned around to face Seifer, only to see him with his gunblade drawn.  Not unexpected.  Seifer was always challenging Squall to fights, but there was always someone around to stop them before things got too serious.  A quick glance in both directions told Squall that they would not have that happening tonight, for better or worse.

"Girl troubles, friend?" Seifer mused.  His gang laughed hysterically in the dark.  'So Seifer knows.  Perfect.'

"Why don't your cronies come out into the light, Seif?" Squall challenged.  He had no reason to fear Seifer's buddies, he knew Seifer would never let any of them touch Squall.  Squall belonged to Seifer.

Out into the dim light of a dying streetlamp stood Zidane, Lulu, and Zell, though the last seemed uncertain about this matter.  Squall knew these guys were constantly around Seifer.  They'd be a gang if Squall thought them a serious threat.  They could all pick a decent fight, but they didn't have the unity to be feared.

"So let's make this quick, what do you want?" Squall asked.  He knew the reason well enough, but Seifer loved to make speeches.  Squall just wanted to vent some anger and Seifer Almasy got to be the lucky one he took it out on.

"Well, Squall, I got to thinkin' today.  You and I have a scored to settle.  Damn Garland broke up our last little contest, and your deadbeat uncle broke it up the time before.  So this is what I'm thinkin'," Seifer pointed his blade at Squall, and cocked the hammer on his handle.  "You and me.  For keeps this time.  How's that sound, Squally boy?  Hell, maybe you'll get that bitch's attention after al-"

Squall didn't let Seifer finish.  The comment about Rinoa threw Squall into a rage and he flew towards Seifer.  They were almost evenly matched, but Squall had a superior head in battle, and usually won their fights.  This time, however, it was all in blind rage.  If it came to it, Squall would kill Seifer here, tonight.

The flurry of attacks from both sides looked morbidly beautiful in the dim light as the blades caught the reflections of the street lamps.  Lulu watched the battle, silent but smiling.  Zidane jumped around doing flips and cartwheels, cheering wildly at Seifer's every strike.  Zell just watched, his mouth agape, unable to decide what to make of the fight.  Splashes of water from the puddles on the ground reflected off the lights from the lamps.  The two boys danced on, both totally absorbed in their fight when

_BAAAM!!_

A gunshot echoed down the street as Squall flew two feet back and stumbled at the force of Seifer's parry.  Squall, down on one knee, look his opponent in the eyes.  "I said for keeps, Squally boy."

Seifer's cold eyes reflected the street lamp as he calmly reached into his coat pocket and loaded a new charge into the empty chamber of his revolver.  "What, not loaded?  Uh oh.. well aren't _you in trouble?"_

Seifer laughed and Squall assessed the situation.  He _was in trouble, there was no denying that.  Squall almost never kept his weapon loaded, especially not while just walking home from classes at the academy.  He carried no charges on him, and Seifer certainly wasn't going to give him some of his.  He had two options: one was to fight it out with Seifer even though it wasn't a fair fight, the second was to someone get the chargers out of Seifer's weapon.  Running was not an option._

Squall lunged forward, this time thinking clearly.  Seifer blocked Squall's first attack, and _BAM!_ used up a shot.  Careless.  He was expecting it this time and the force didn't through Squall of balance.  Now very close to Seifer, Squall thrust his elbow into Seifer's face, breaking his nose and causing him to grunt.  Siefer, now thoroughly distracted,  hardly noticed as Squall slipped his hand down onto the back of Seifer's elbow.  'Now if I can only remember that pressure point,' Squall thought to himself as _BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!! _Seifer's hand involuntarily contracted seven times.  Lulu decided to jump in and hit Squall with a rather painful Thunder spell, but she immediately stopped after being given a dirty look from Seifer.

The two were both on their knees, Squall's shirt still smoking from the spell and Seifer's nose bleeding into the gutter.  They gasped for breath waiting for the other to make the first move.  When it was obvious that neither was going to move soon, Seifer took the moment to taunt his rival.

"You know, Rinoa is never going to like you if fight dirty like that."

"Hey, me and her may not have hit it off too well, but at least she doesn't _hate_ me."  The look in Seifer's eyes let him know he'd struck a chord.  "Yes, Seif, I've seen how you look at her, but she doesn't go for your type.  First off, you're too stupid to-"  Seifer didn't waste a second.  He leapt the gap between then through the air and slashed Squall's face before he could react.  If Seifer had any charges left, he would be dead.  But that thought didn't impair Squall's judgment as he batted the weapon from Seifer's hand and counterattacked with a rising slash.  Seifer attempted to back away from the strike, but he wasn't quick enough and he felt the searing pain between his eyes as he stumbled backwards. 

Blood was dripping from both boy's faces when they heard the sirens from the main road, obviously getting closer.  Someone had heard the shots.

"Everyone, get out of here!"  Seifer shouted to his lackeys as he picked up his gunblade and ran himself.  "And don't think we ended this tonight, Squall!" he screamed as he disappeared into the darkness.

Squall rose as well, and limped toward his front door.  The porch light cast his eerie silhouette against the wall as he walked slowly towards the house.  He passed out cold on the concrete, feet from the door. 

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

The General of Defense walked through the hallways of the castle, briskly as usual.  She always had somewhere to be, and didn't have time to be having meetings in the castle.  This meeting was different, though.  It was rumored that General Sephiroth had returned from is expedition in Wutai, though many eye witnesses from his battalion claimed they saw him impaled by the Wutainese during their final battle.

She believed the witnesses, but also believed that Sephiroth had returned.  He wasn't an easy man to take down in a fight, and she knew that from personal experience.  She had trained with him for many years while rising through the ranks of the White Knights.  She had no particular fondness of him, and found him to be quite cold, but if there was a battle, she wanted him on her side.  She pitied the fool who would think he could betray the great Sephiroth.  Turning one last corner, she arrived at her destination, and opened the door with haste.

"Ah, General Beatrix, I was hoping you would join us this afternoon," Lord Ansem greeted her.  He rose as she entered the room and pulled out a chair for her as she sat down.

"Thank you sire, but I assure you such formalities are unnecessary.  You do not need to pull a chair out for me."

"I'm just trying to be hospitable.  I apologize if I offended you in any way," Ansem responded as he sat back down.  Beatrix was very serious about her work, and it always preceded the pleasures of everyday life.  "I know you are on a tight schedule, so I assure you we will make this meeting as short as possible.  First," he announced, extending his arm to one side towards the people in the other chairs around the table, "I shall introduce my team."

'Team?' Beatrix thought.  'Why would a team be necessary for the Sephiroth's arrival?'

"First is the C.I.T Zack Ebony, whom I am sure you have met with before."

"Hello, General Beatrix," he bowed his head.

"Next is Cid Highwind, my head aviator and engineer."

"Hiya, sweet cheeks," Cid mumbled unemphatically while tinkering with a small piece of electronics.  He was in his early forties, but still in good shape, despite is apparent nicotine addiction.  He had a cigarette in his mouth and a pack tucked under the strap of his goggles on his head, plus a back up pack tucked into his pants.  He also, Beatrix noted, had a gross disrespect for authority.

"Finally, the Head of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Laguna Loire."

"It is very good, that is to say, great, to… um… finally be able to see—meet with you, Lady Beatrix," Laguna stumbled.  He had long black hair with prominent wisps of gray, and wore very casual clothing: a half buttoned up shirt and some old khaki pants with holes in them.  'Funny, for the Head of Foreign affairs, you'd think he'd be better with words.'

"So now that the formalities are aside, I may tell you the reason for your being here," Ansem began.  As he spoke, he stood up and walked around the table, talking to everyone, but mostly to Beatrix.  "As you may have all heard, General Sephiroth has made a triumphant return the Hallow Bastion.  After being away for years, and presumed dead for a little more than a year now, he has returned to us, battle scarred but alive.  He arrived late two nights ago in torn clothes.  Nobody recognized him, so he came straight to me.  I have put him to rest in my private chambers while he recovers his strength.  I have not kept this a secret, but I have made no official declaration on the matter.  Sephiroth will return to his former glory next Thursday, as he picks the Top Ranks in Commander Ebony's next ceremony.  I chose to invite you here today, Lady Beatrix, because Sephiroth has urgent news for you.  He was taken prisoner by the Wutainese and has only very recently escaped.  He has some military issues to discuss with you.  If you wish to speak to him now, I will have my secretary take you to my chambers."

"Thank you, sire, I will take you up on that offer." 

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

Cloud walked to class the next day alone.  It was Friday, and Cloud hadn't seen Squall since Wednesday afternoon.  No one had.  Seifer had gone missing too, and Cloud hoped in his gut that they hadn't gone off and killed each other.  He had tried to get answers from Seifer's gang, but they were a tight lipped bunch when they needed to be.  Zell he could get answers from, but not if the others were around.  They knew this, so they never left Zell alone.

"So no Squall yet, huh?"  It was Tifa standing next to a tree.  She looked disappointed at Squall's absence.

"Not yet, Tif," Cloud answered.  "I don't know where he's gotten himself to.  I'm going to go look for him this weekend, maybe get some answers from him or Seifer if I see him."

"Don't you practice with Rinoa this weekend?" Tifa inquired.

"This is more important, Rinoa will understand."  Rinoa  had been, expectedly, terribly worried about Squall, too.  Cloud had told her he thought Squall ran off he saw them together, but he didn't think that he'd be gone this long over that.  Something else must have happened to him, and it took a lot to keep Squall down.

The two began walking together toward the castle to attend their Magic Studies lecture.  Cloud was pretty good with magic, too.  He knew some basic heal spells, and had a decent ice spell, but he knew he wasn't as naturally inclined towards magic as Sephiroth was.  It just made Cloud work harder at it.  He had started to trade with Rinoa: he taught her sword fighting and she tutored him in magic.  They were becoming pretty good friends.

"You're right, I'm sure Rinoa is worried about Squall, too," Tifa said, minutes later.  

The rest of the walk was in silence.  There was a strange discomfort between them, and Cloud couldn't place it.  They had been such good friends since they were kids, but for the past couple of months things were just different.  Cloud tried not to think about it too much, and just kept his mind on the pretty girl at the bar.

When they got to the hall, after a long walk in silence, Tifa nervously muttered, "See you," and ran to sit in the back of the class.  She looked embarrassed, so Cloud thought it best not to follow her.  Instead he went to sit next to Rinoa.  The eager look on her face told him what she was about to ask.

"No Squall yet, sorry, Rin."  Her face fell.  She was obviously distraught, so Cloud tried to ease her mind.  "But don't worry, I'm going to go look for him this weekend, he's probably just ran down to the rising falls.  He did that a lot when we were kids."  Rinoa faked a smile, she knew Cloud was trying to cheer her up.  She tried to put Squall out of her mind during the lecture.

Half way through class, a familiar girl walked through the door of the grand lecture hall and sat in one of the few empty seats in the front row.  The instructor paid her no mind and continued on with the class.  Cloud elbowed Rinoa and hissed, "Hey!  Hey!  That's the girl from the bar!"  He had told Rinoa about her the day before, after a break from studying.  The new girl looked a tad distraught as she sat down, and it was obvious she was thinking about something else the entire rest of the class.  When the lecture ended, she jumped up and scurried out the door as quickly as she had come in.  Cloud jumped up and ran after her before Rinoa could tell him "Go talk to her!"

He darted out of the building and look both ways, only to find out he'd lost her.  Disappointed, he turned around to find Tifa to walk home with when the beautiful girl from the bar bumped straight into his back.

"Oh goodness… I'm so sorry, I'm just in such a rush," she scrambled, trying to pick up all her papers she had dropped during the collision.

"It's okay… here, lemme help you."  Cloud was astonished.  He'd never before had so much good luck in his life.  He was starting to think he'd never be able to track down this girl.  Now he just need to get her name.  Name.  'Oh right, introduce yourself!'

"I'm Cloud," he said.  'Good start.  Very straightforward, to the point.'

"Aerith," the girl told to her papers.  Cloud couldn't help but notice that she was amazingly preoccupied with something, and in a big hurry.  The he noticed the blood stain on the leg of her dress.

"Is that blood?  Are you okay?" Cloud asked frantically.  She was shocked at the sudden questioning, but composed herself to answer.

"No… no its not.  Not mine, anyway.  Actually, I found a boy unconscious the other day, bleeding all over," she motioned at the stain on the dress.  "He had a big cut on his face and some internal injuries, obviously from a fight.  He was just a few feet away from a door.  I think he may have been trying to rob the house," Aerith explained.  Cloud wondered.  "He's been unconscious for a few days now, but he's just starting to come to, so I really need to hurry to go see him, so he knows I didn't kidnap him or something."

Cloud couldn't help but think that he'd found Squall.

"Tell me, what does this guy look like?" 

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

"Excuse me sir," Beatrix began, looking at the back of Lord Ansem's assistant's head.  She knew that she wouldn't get a straight answer from this man, since Ansem wouldn't pick a loose lipped assistant, but any light shed on the subject would be nice.  "But why does Lord Ansem need a team to arrange for Sephiroth's return?"

"Ah, Lady Beatrix, you misunderstand," the assistant replied.  He obviously considered himself very important to the inner workings of the castle, since he addressed her as "Lady" rather than the more formal "General".  "The team in the Meeting Hall is working on one of the Lord's personal projects.  I'm afraid any more information I could give you would be too much, Lady."  He gave a short bow as he stopped in front of a large door and motioned toward it with his hand.  "Lord Ansem's quarters, Lady," he addressed solemnly.  "The General awaits you inside."

Beatrix opened the door and walked inside the room.  A cold draft blew across her face as the opening was shut from behind, echoing loudly in the large room.  She looked around and admired the valuable items that Lord Ansem kept himself surrounded by: ancient tapestries from both the Hallow Bastion and Wutai, magical relics from long extinct species of dragons and unicorns, ancient textbooks containing knowledge of everything from scientific experiments, to magic, to the study of great literature.  Her Lord was truly a cultured and wise ruler, and she thanked the heavens to be under the command of such a fine individual.  Past the desks and the bookcases and lamps and tapestries was a large bed, with its curtains folded inward.  Beatrix tried to think of the best way to announce herself to the esteemed general, only to realized that he had already noticed her.

"Ah, General Beatrix.  It has been so long."

His voice was deep and soothing, like that of a psychiatrist's when speaking to a suffering soul.  However, the harsh battles and cold weather had put a rasp into it that would probably never fully heal.  He sounded weak, but still dignified and strong in the mind.  He was, as he had always been, an easy man to obey.

"Allow me to get up out of this bed," she heard him struggling with the inadequate strength of his own muscles, "so we may have this talk on a common level."

He opened the curtain and Beatrix saw him for the first time in almost ten years.  He was tall, but now hunched; strong, but now deteriorating.  His hair was a mesmerizing silver which seemed to make his robe, a deep white, luminescent.  It was tied loose enough to reveal his chest, covered in bandages but obviously bruised.  His legs were in a similar state.  His arms had scars from blades from the shoulder to the wrist, a memento from his most recent battle that would stay with him until the day he died.  Despite his ragged appearance, he managed himself to be graceful and worthy of respect.  He owed much to his eyes, beautifully bright and youthful green, for this.

"You are as beautiful as you were the day I left, General," he told her in tone much like that of speaking to an old friend as he embraced her shortly.  She may have thought he was cold, but she was glad to have him back.  They were comrades.

"Pity fate did not present the same gift to you, General," Beatrix jested, nodding towards his bandaged ribcage.  They smiled at each other.

"Well, I have had a rough week," he informed her understatedly.  

"So tell me, what information do you have for me?" Beatrix asked.

"Just the same as always, work before pleasure," Sephiroth reminisced.  "Well, General, I am afraid I come with bad news.  The Wutainese are planning a strike.  I learned of this while escaping their stronghold.  They plan to attack from the west first, from the direction of the Rising Falls.  They wish to distract us by attacking the village before they attack in greater numbers from the east, directly into the castle.  Their goal is Ansem's life."  He let his words hang in the air a moment before he continued on.  "They do not know I have discovered this information, so an effective counterstrike may be planned with my full confidence."

"Thank you General," Beatrix replied, shocked at the thought of a recreation of the Great War, but hiding it under years of military training.  "Do you know the time of the strike?"

"They are already on their way, and plan on attacking in eight days."  Next Saturday, Beatrix thought.  A plan immediately started to form in her mind.

"Would you like to aid in the preparations of this strike, General, since I assume you will not be on the battlefield?" Beatrix suggested.

"Not on the battlefield?  Now now Lady Beatrix, I would not dream of sitting out on that battle," Sephiroth replied with a wink. 

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

"Oh my God, it's him," Cloud gasped as he walked into a small, musty building in a bad part of town.  "I knew it.  I knew he must have gotten in with Seifer," he commented, noting the slash on his face.  He sat on a stool near Squall's bed and examined his wounds.  "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, yes, he'll be fine," Aerith replied reassuringly, fetching a wet cloth and putting it on Squall's forehead.  "He's pretty beat up, and he'll have a scar on his face, and he has some internal damage, but none of that should be lasting.  But I'm so glad I found someone who knew who he is!" she exclaimed, smiling at Cloud.

"Why didn't you take him to the castle?  Or to a doctor?" Cloud inquired.

"I've been studying healing magic for years, and I can say that I've become quite good at it," she said nonchalantly, while cleaning up the rest of Squall's face.  "I noticed what was wrong with him right away, so I thought it best if I took care of him until he came to.  Taking him to the castle never even crossed my mind, I didn't know they took in injuries there.  I'm new in the area," she informed.  "I am supposed to be working on something directly with Lord Ansem, but my contact never showed up for my meeting."

"Oh, you mean that day in the restaurant?"

"Yes," she said smiling and looking at her feet.  She was embarrassed he'd remembered her.

As if sensing a tender moment between the two next to him, Squall chose the precise moment to revitalize himself by mumbling, "OOOi Noa?"

Cloud looked down into the eyes of his best friend, quietly rejoicing at his recovery.  At this important moment in their friendship, and in this instant of closeness that neither had ever had with the other, all Cloud could vocalize was, "I have no idea what the hell you just said."

"OO," he mumbled and pointed at Cloud's chest.  "An' R'noa?"  Cloud got the point this time.

"No, Leonhart," he smiled.  "No, there was nothing.  She likes you and she's been worried sick about you since you ran off, you moody bastard."

'I deserved that,' Squall thought.

And with that he spent all the energy he had, and Squall fell back asleep.  Cloud could have sworn he saw a smile start to appear on his friend's lips.  'I knew it,' he thought.  'Just a good girl.'

"So, ummm…" Aerith interrupted his thoughts.  "Would you like to stay around for dinner?  I'm sure I have stuff for a salad that I can whip up," Aerith suggested, smiling eagerly.

"Actually, that sounds great."

________________________________________________________________________                        

~Well, that's it for this chapter, be sure to look forward to the next one, and here's a preview of it to keep you interested!  Squall recovers and settles the score with Seifer, this time with a large audience and Rinoa on his side.  And what will Ansem's reaction be when he finds small, shadow-like creatures roaming around beneath the castle?  Find out in the next chapter, _From the Hearts of Shadows, coming soon!  This one's where the real action starts!_


	3. From the Hearts of Shadows

**3- From the Hearts of Shadows**

Seifer appeared at the start of the next week, marked with a scar across his face, but mostly just an injured pride.  He knew Squall had beaten him that night, though he would never admit that to anyone.  So he laid low for a while, hoping the whole incident would blow over, and he would be the subject of as few jokes as possible.  Squall had not, nor anyone else, started any rumors, mostly because he knew the battle took a toll on him as well.  The two did not look each other in the eyes all that next week, which resulted in an eerie peace reminiscent of a calm before the storm.

But despite the lasting rivalry with Seifer, Squall was enjoying his life.  He had made a new ally in Aerith, once she found out that he wasn't a criminal trying to break into his own home.  He had also engaged in a quickly budding romance with Rinoa.  Though still rough and a lone wolf to most, both Cloud and Rinoa noticed the subtle changes in his mood.  It made Rinoa ecstatic to see that her mere presence could invoke such an astounding effect on the man she cared so much about.  They were good together, in an odd, opposites attract, "Cupid must be drunk" sort of way.  She was always right next to him, gripping his arm when she sensed he needed support, and he would always pretend be surprised to see her there.  He'd tell her to go away, and she'd just laugh, knowing that no matter what kind of stupid things he said to her, he cared for her, and just didn't know how to act with her around other people.  When by themselves, he opened up to her like he had only done with his mother, and it eased the pain in his heart.

Cloud, fortunately, had reached a similar level of comfort with his lovely Aerith, expect for the opening up part, since Cloud's emotional walls were nowhere near as high as Squall's.  They had a connection though, that both had felt since the day Aerith led Cloud to Squall.  Life was good.

But, as we all know, it is only during life's best times that the worst befall us all.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

"So I suspect that the interviews went well for all of you?" Instructor Garland addressed the Top Ranks the Wednesday before their ceremony.  The four replied with a swift "Yes, sir!" and Garland continued on.

"Good, I will take this opportunity, then, to describe how the ceremony will proceed."  The training fields were deserted, the rest of the students long since left.  Seifer, Freya, Cloud, and Squall all stood at attention, feeding off their instructor's words.  This would be a fine moment in all their lives.  "First, the Royal Guard will present the Crest of the White Knights, and then Lord Ansem's family crest.  You all, as well as all of the attendees, will pay your respect to these crests.  Next you will be asked by General Sephiroth to prove yourselves, before the eyes of your leader Lord Ansem.  You will be placed in two pairs tonight, and during the ceremony you will engage your partner in a fair sparring session, and be sure to use all the knowledge you have learn in this course while fighting," he added this last part rather haughtily.  "After the sparring sessions, Lord Ansem will hand General Sephiroth your medals, which he will then place on you.  You will bow to the General, to Lord Ansem, and to your C.I.T.  The night will then be yours."  He smiled at his students with a proud gleam in his eye before he announced the pairings.

"Hmmm, now which of you would put on the best show?"  He carefully scanned his pupils.  "Yes, Mr. Strife, you will battle Ms. Crescent."  They smiled at each other.  They had never fought before, but often had arguments over who would win.  Both were extremely gifted and were naturally lithe.  Their battle certainly would put on a good show.  "This leaves Mr. Leonhart and Mr. Almasy.  I trust you two can keep the fatal blows to a minimum, yes?" he warned them.  For the first time since their last encounter, they looked at each other, a fire burning in both their eyes that could not be quenched but for blood.  Their senses returned to them.

"Yes, sir!" they replied mechanically.

"Good, troops!  Dismissed!"  Garland walked away quickly, and Seifer quickly after that.  Cloud, Squall, and Freya congregated to discuss the next days events.

"So, I guess you'll be glad to be able to settle things with Seifer, eh Leonhart?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah.  Are you two going to be alright?" he replied.  Cloud and Freya looked at each other, each smilingly sizing the other up.

"Yes, he's a bit skinny.  I can take him out," Freya said.  Cloud laughed at out loud, and to the surprise of him and Freya, Squall smiled openly at the joke.

"I'm gonna go see Rin, see you later," and without waiting for his friends' goodbyes he turned and walked off.

"That girl is really doing him good, isn't she?  I haven't seen Squall this happy since…" Freya trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

"Yeah, his mother," Cloud aided.  "Say, Aerith is busy in the castle tonight.  Care to get some food with me?  I know this great place in the slums-"

"You mean my house?" Freya interrupted coldly.

"How'd you guess?"  He smiled brightly at her in the growing moonlight.

"Fine.  C'mon, you lazy bum."

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

Ansem had yearned for an answer, but none would arrive.  All his experiments had failed him, and left him with two bodies on his hands.  Was darkness truly so powerful?  The test subjects had been two of his own assistants; introverted and talked to no one but themselves.  Anne and Forrest Mercado had been married for twenty years, and lived quite happily with each other.  Ansem had not intended for the experiments to go as they had, but now that the couple was dead, it would do no good to regret his actions.  Though the predicted result of the experiment was wrong, the outcome was fascinating.  Could a human being not live without the light?  It was an interesting hypothesis, and one that gave his life renewed meaning.  'The Light of the Hallow Bastion is like a beacon to every soul,' he thought. ' My work here has been fruitful.  Perhaps later I can try later on with other subjects, and see just exactly how much darkness is too much.  Or perhaps… even harness the darkness itself?'  The idea made him tremble with excitement.  But first, to dispose of these… mishaps.  

He took them deep down into the bowels of the castle, and threw them into a small natural reservoir in the cavernous base of the structure.  No one would find them there, and no one would miss  them.  The incident had never occurred.  Anne and Forrest Mercado had neither died, nor had they ever lived.

But the most interesting part of Ansem's journey that night was on the trek back up to his chambers.  Still in the vast, interconnected hallways of the lower castle, a small yellow glint caught his eye.  Upon investigating it more thoroughly, he found it to be a small creature about the size of a toddler.  It was bipedal and had two arm-like appendages and a head, but was obviously not human.  Its skin was completely black: not a lack of color, but a deep, resounding black that darkened everything around it, the antithesis of a lamp or a torch.  It seemed to destroy all light around it.  It was a jittery creature, that hobbled slowly, but panicked when it saw Ansem.  It wriggled its antennae wildly and ran away, searching for escape.

Ansem would not let a fascinating creature like this go so easily, however.  He gave chase, and managed to corner it in the dead end of a hallway.  "Ahhh… now come to me," he said softly as the creature looked one way and the next.  Ansem became impatient and lunged for it, only to see that it sank beneath the stone and traveled along the floor, then, up onto wall, noticeable only as a small circular shadow.  "Fascinating," he remarked to himself out loud.  The creature then appeared behind him, and struck him with is small claws.  The wound was small, but intensely painful and cold.

Ansem saw it retreat under the stone walkway again and took off his coat.  He would be ready for the next strike.  When the creature appeared and jumped again, Ansem caught it is his coat, tying the arms of the garment tight in order to prevent the creature's escape.  "Slippery little devil, aren't you?" he asked it.  "Oh well, it is no matter.  You're mine now.  I'll take you up to my laboratory."

As he walked away from the hallway and turned the corner, a tall, slender man with long silver hair stepped out of the shadows.  He listened to the footsteps and sounds of the small struggling life until they faded away, lost in the darkness of the catacombs. 

"How could you, Ansem?" he asked quietly to himself.  "How could you?"  

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

"You know, I'm feeling a lot better about the testing tomorrow," Rinoa began.  She and Squall were sitting on the ledge of the castle, Squall's hiding spot several nights earlier.  "You and Cloud helped me out a lot, and Rikku's going to be my partner.  She's going to exaggerate a bit to make it look like I'm stronger."  She laughed quietly to herself.

"She shouldn't do that.  You're being tested for a reason, you know."  Squall's response was not heartfelt.  He was actually happy that Rinoa had found a way to beat the system this time.

"Oh, don't you tell me what to do…" Rinoa trailed off as she rested her head on Squall's shoulder.  There was a lasting silence, not forced, just mutually accepted as the couple stared out onto the lights of the city at night.  Things were peaceful, and the two were happy.  "Are you sure you're going to be okay with Seifer tomorrow?" she asked hesitantly, unsure if it was going to disrupt their enjoyment of the evening.

"I'll be just fine.  Last time it wasn't a fair fight, and I still beat him.  Lulu was the only one who got a decent hit on me."  He looked down at her, her eyes closed peacefully and the edges of her lips twisting in the slightest of smiles.  He took her hand in his and looked out onto the city once more.

_Nothing can ruin this_, they both thought.         

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

"Well, Cloud, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

Freya and Cloud were sitting on the Crescents' porch, whittling away the time after their meal.  They were both looking forward to the next day, not only for their approaching contest, but also to see how Rinoa would do, and if Squall could beat Siefer twice, and, for Cloud especially, to meet the great Sephiroth, whom he'd been compared to since he joined the academy.

"Alright, Freya.  And don't worry," he said as he stood up in his cocky little pose, then looked over her shoulder at the girl sitting on the porch.  "I'll take it easy on you," he smiled.

As he spun around, his boot got caught on something and he fell hard to the ground, while his shoe arched six feet in the air and fell on his head with striking aim.  He groaned and rolled over to see Freya smiling broadly, tail dangling mischievously over her shoulder.

"I can take care of myself, you lazy bum." 

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

Sephiroth did not sleep that night.  He paced the length of Ansem's personal chambers, where he was still nursing himself back to his original strength, and thought.  In all his years of military service, he was used to making quick, calculated decisions.  He was used to other lives, as well as his own, being on the line.  He had always known that one false step could spell his own death on the battlefield, but Sephiroth knew the dance.  Sephiroth was the best.  Sephiroth knew what to do and when to do it, and he knew how to execute it when the time was right.  He hadn't, in years, taken longer than a second to make a decision.

But now, Sephiroth felt helpless.

So he paced, back and forth, across the room with no answers coming to him.  He could not openly defy the King of the Hallow Bastion.  Ansem was a powerful man, both physically and politically.  Sephiroth was strong, but not strong enough to stand up to the Hallow Bastion in its entirety, which would certainly be the situation if Ansem found out what he had seen.  Sephiroth could not handle this situation on his own, so he called one person who might just believe him, and who might just help him.  But perhaps most importantly, she was strong enough to stand up to Ansem with Sephiroth's aid. 

And if she did not believe him… she would surely have to die.

There was an urgent knock at the door, and Sephiroth jogged to the door to answer it.  On the other side he found a hastily readied General Beartix, still in her night gown, but who had given herself enough time to slide her headband down over her right eye and strap her sword at her side.  Always the warrior, she was.

"What is so urgent that you needed to see me right away, General?  Have you remembered something else about the impending attack on our castle?" Beatrix asked, eager to get directly to business.

"No, Lady Beatrix," he responded, subtly addressing her as his inferior, "I am afraid it is something much… much worse."

Sephiroth knew the dance.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

This was the night when the snow began to fall.

It fell on the heads of the homeless and the rooftops of the aristocrats.  It fell on the plains and on the village, on the wooden buildings and on the castle.  It fell on the playgrounds where the children played, and on the cemeteries where their grandparents and great-grandparents rested after a long and difficult life.  The snow fell on everyone and everything, regardless of sex, creed, stature or character.  It unified the entire kingdom for one last time.

Cloud slept in a nestle of blankets and pillows he had rolled up untidily on the floor, having given up on staying an entire night on his own bed.  He dreamt of Aerith who in turn lay sleeping silent on a bed of white, dreaming of her reason for coming to the Hallow Bastion.  Squall and Rinoa both paced their rooms, thinking of the other and of the day to come.  Siefer thought of Squall, and of revenge.  Yuffie kicked the air and screamed war cries in her sleep as Rikku struggled to dose off down the hall.  Freya stared silently out her bedroom window, hoping to bring her family honor and to earn them their rights out of the slums.  Sephiroth and Beatrix conversed in the castle, and argued intently.  Lord Ansem cursed the white falling on his land.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

The next morning began as well as any of them could have hoped.  Not a soul was late for the ceremony; even Zell was on time.  All the students were eager to finally meet the great general whose attendance had been confirmed when the elegant black coach had arrived just outside the training grounds from which Sephiroth emerged following his king.  Sephiroth received a hero's welcome from the crowd, which roared on its feet for minutes before finally calming down when the soldier retreated into the building to prepare for the ceremony.  Despite his audience, Sephiroth was solemn and eyed his ruler very carefully.  Beatrix, who usually attended these sorts of ceremonies as Ansem's personal guard, was mysteriously absent.

Cloud was ecstatic, and as a result he wouldn't-

"Just shut up."

"C'mon, now, Leonhart.  You can't honestly tell me you're not excited about meeting the General here today.  I've been looking forward to this ever since I heard about it."

"I've got other things on my mind, you know."

Cloud and Squall were, as usual, arguing in the locker room as they changed into their uniforms.  Being tested for top ranks, their uniforms were more elaborate than the others.  The majority of students wore ceremonial clothes, different colors for different specialties.  Since this was the final test for all of them,  there was a vast array of colors in the crowd that day.  Students who were to go on to become soldiers wore deep navy blue jackets, with sliver trimming and inscriptions in an ancient magical language on the shoulders and chest.  Boys wore matching pants, and girls had the choice of pants or a skirt.  Other uniforms were similar, but with different inscriptions and in different colors.  White magic specialists wore white clothes, while those trained in dark magic wore deep blood red uniforms.  Chemists wore green, and archers wore tan.  There were a few other colors scattered in the crowd as well.  Cloud and Squall, soon to be joined by Seifer and Freya, had black uniforms with golden inscriptions.  Freya had found a black cloak much like her usual red one and wore that as well.

"Yeah, yeah, Seifer.  But of all the people to prove that you're better than Seifer to, Sephiroth has got to be the best!"

"It really doesn't interest me," Squall replied dully.  Rinoa may have softened his heart, but Cloud still thought he was a bit cold.

"Fine," Cloud reluctantly backed off his friend.  He was too excited to get into an argument.  "So what's your plan with Seifer."

"If I have to, I'll fight dirty," Squall replied, loading the last of his eight charges into his weapon.  Cloud smiled in approval when a familiar voice rang through the rows of lockers.

"All right, move out, troops!"  It was Instructor Garland, joyous as if his teaching had brought any soldier closer to enrollment into the Order of the White Knights.  Most of his students sighed in exasperation as they obediently followed his orders for, hopefully, the final time.

As they marched out onto the field in single file, a roar of appreciation swept through the stands.  The seats were filled mostly with proud parents and friends, though the closer seats occupied some of the more prestigious commanders there to scout new talent.  The field itself was covered in a thin layer of snow, and it crunched loudly under everyone's feet as the boys and girls marched to their places simultaneously.  The vast majority of the students marched into their usual places on the field, while the four candidates for Top Ranks marched proudly to the row in front of their comrades.  Squall and Seifer gave each other icy stares until the ceremony began.

Garland spoke first, and for too long.  While his only official duties were to announce Lord Ansem and present the two crests, he took it upon himself to prepare a very long speech with which to open the ceremony.  The presenting of the crests were hastened, apparently so that he could continue talking about what he wanted to, and this part of the ceremony was lost to many in the audience.  Considering the small size of the instructor's vocabulary, he repeated some words many times, forcing Rinoa to consider giving the man a Thesaurus before she left.  Despite her hatred for him, she found this gift acceptable.  He eventually ended his speech and did his sole remaining duty: to announce the king.  The half of the audience (as well as a few of the students who had mastered the art of sleeping standing up during Garland's longer lectures) was awakened by loud cheers of rest of the people in the stadium who had managed to keep themselves awake.

Ansem made a grand entrance, as he usually did.  Though there was a beautiful and ornate door leading to the stage where Garland was waiting for him, Ansem preferred entrance with accompanying magical flare.  He teleported onstage, right behind Garland (much to the surprise of the older instructor).   Garland sat down, visibly shaken, and Ansem began his short opening.

"Ladies and Gentleman, honored students," he addressed, opening his arms to both the stretches of chattering parents above and army of students below.  "We are all here, today, to witness the glorious ascension of these students into my own Order of the White Kights.  Each of these individuals has performed to the designated standards in every category.  Today, regardless of weather, will be the final test upon these students, who will surely leave this building noble soldiers."  He smiled over his army and continued on.  "We will begin this ceremony with the test it itself.  Every person on the field has be assigned a partner against which they will battle until all are deemed worthy to call themselves true knights.  Cadets, take your positions!"

With this the students turned to face their partner and the candidates for Top Ranks moved onto the stage where Ansem had stood.  The king had gone to the ground level to rank the sparring students.

"Begin!" he shouted, and a multitude of voices roared as individuals hacked at one another, hoping to stand out among the crowd.  He first circled the entire group once, then proceeded to walk through all the aisles and watched every pair briefly and decided whether they passed.

Squall and Cloud both kept a close eye on Rinoa and Rikku through the entire exercise, and were delighted when, despite a few losses of her balance, Ansem passed her, and even remarked at how much she must have dedicated herself to studying swordplay in order to improve so quickly.  Rinoa could do no less than glow with pride at the comment.  She gave Squall a quick thumbs up as the king made his way down the rest of the row.

When all the decisions were made (and those that did not pass had left the field, for there were those that lacked the necessary skills) Ansem returned to the stage, standing in front the four candidates and turned to the crowd.

"I give you all, the next battalion of the Order of the White Knights!" he gleamed triumphantly.  He was proud of every one of the students who passed.  When the shouts of congratulations finally died down, Ansem proceeded with his business.  "Now, all of you will receive your very first assignments by the end of next week, and you are on leave until that assignment comes.  That's out of the way, so we may continue on with the ceremony.  As many of you have undoubtedly heard, a certain soldier has returned from battle, presumed dead over one year ago, but very much alive…" the crowd began to mutter as those that had not yet heard of Sephiroth's return were quickly filled in.  "He is here, today, in order to pay his respects to these fine soldiers," he said as he motioned behind him towards the candidates.  "Allow myself to humbly introduce the man who shall become myth incarnate: Master General Sephiroth."

Once again a huge roar came from the crowd, and even parents whose children had not passed the final test and were exiting the building found their way back to their seats.  People stood on tip-toe in order to see the man whose own regime had seen him impaled on many Wutainese spears but yet managed to run hundreds of miles on foot back to his home after escaping his captors.  People cheered, but the cheers gradually died away when no one walked through the magnificent doorway.  After minutes of inactivity, the people began to question to one another.

He did not emerge until all cheering had stopped.  When he appeared, no one cheered, though everyone saw him right away.  He had a stern air about him, battle hardened and scarred to the soul.  He wore a large cape on top of his oversized shoulder guards that draped across his back as well as covered his entire front.  It was long enough so that no one could see his feet, and he seemed to glide effortlessly across the stage to his commander's side.  His long silver hair blew majestically to one side with the soft eastern breeze.  His green eyes pieced the inner fears of everyone who saw them.  He reached the right hand of his king, and rather than making a speech like everyone had expected, merely looked at Cloud and said, "I wish to see this one."

"Ah, than we shall save him for last," Ansem said quietly to his old friend.  With that, Sephiroth retreated to the rear of the stage, and stood next to C.I.T. Ebony, Cid Highwind, and Aerith, whom Cloud had not yet noticed.  When he finally saw her, he felt relieved.  In all honesty, Cloud was terrified when Sephiroth looked at him, as anyone would have been.  He had obviously heard of Cloud, and probably wanted to make sure that a mere boy would not take his place as head soldier of the military.  'No,' Cloud thought.  'Sephiroth could not be so petty as that.'  However, his soul had received comfort from Aerith's eyes and was instantly healed when she smiled broadly at him.  'Okay, now I'm ready to do this.'

"These students have been chosen as best in their class, and worthy of the potential Top Ranks," Ansem announced, bringing Cloud back into the present.  "We usually have one or two candidates for Top Ranks, but today we see four young soldiers grace this stage.  In tradition, these soldiers will show their skills to myself and the Master General.  We shall then decide whether the fighters are worthy of the title.  We shall begin the first match immediately.  Will Privates Seifer Almasy and Squall Leonhart please proceed to the center of the field?"

Squall and Seifer took opposite ramps to the field below and met in the middle of a circle 30 feet across with two lines near the center, where Zack was waiting for them.  He inspected both their weapons, and found they were both loaded.

"Christ," he muttered to them.  "I don't know what Garland was thinking of sending you two out here.  Just don't kill each other, okay?"  He received nothing but silence from both teens.  "Fine, just remember your mothers are watching, okay?"  Seifer snickered and Squall was enraged.  "Erp…. Sorry kid.  That's it, I'm shuttin' up. Get behind your lines."

Squall and Seifer took their places about ten feet away from each other and ten feet to the edge of the circle.

"Now," Zack said loudly enough for the whole audience to hear.  "Both contestants have met the weapon requirements.  Privates Leonhart and Almasy are both dueling with Gunblades, eight charges each.  The contest will end when one combatant is ejected from the circle, or when one is rendered unconscious.  Acts of lethality will not be tolerated.  Contestants, draw weapons!"  Gunblades were unsheathed eagerly on both ends.  "Begin!"

With that one word, Squall and Seifer ran toward each other and when they reached, the field exploded in a flurry of slashes and counter-slashes.  The two were so evenly matched that they seemed to mirror the other's every move, and it was a spectacle for the eyes.  After a few seconds, Squall blocked one of Seifer's strikes and they locked blades.  They struggled for dominance as the action slowed down and they stared into each other's eyes.

"Well, well, Squally-boy.  Seems like we're at it again," Seifer smiled.  "You caught me with a dirty trick last time, but I guarantee you  I won't fall for the same thing again."

"And I can guarantee Lu won't save your ass this time, too," Squall shot back and grinned.

"That's it, I'm ending this fast!" Seifer shouted and pulled the trigger on his gunblade.  Due to his commentary, Squall expected this was coming and pulled his trigger as well.  The result was a massive explosion that cracked through the entire audience and sent both combatants flying backward.  They landed on their feet and were forced back to the edge of the circle, but neither fell over.  The boys smiled at each other as they heard an "Oooooohhhh…." and scattered applauses from the audience.  However, they wasted no time in returning to the task at hand.

They both ran forward again, but this time Squall anticipated Seifer's move and rolled under his horizontal strike.  He quickly regained his feet and aimed and upward slash at Seifer's back but it was blocked with a _BAANG!! And Siefer grinned again._

"Trying to be a little more offensive this time, eh, Squall-boy?"

"You talk too much," Squall retorted as he began another flurry of strikes, each slash quicker than the last.  The action began to go faster, and Cloud and Rinoa were both breathless as how fast Squall was moving.  The speed did not effect the accuracy or power of any of his attacks as it would to a fighter with less skill.  The _clinks of the blades and the __BAANG!! of the guns washed over the crowd, who had long since stopped ooh-ing and ahh-ing, afraid they would miss the end of the battle.  Any attempt to count the charges used my either fighter would have been in vain, as they were moving too fast.  Finally, attempting to stop the equality of the fight and gain supremacy, Seifer stuck out his knee and hit Squall in the gut, then placed his hand on Squall's chest.  Temporarily immobilized, Squall could hear soft chanting coming for Seifer, but could not identify what words he was saying.  He figured it out only too late when he was __CHRUUSH!! blown across most of the circle.  Fire magic.  Lulu had taught him fire magic._

As his vision blurred, Squall thought only of Rinoa.  Not of Ansem or of Sephiroth, or even Seifer, who may have killed him at any moment.  Just Rinoa.  He though of the time he had spent with her, and how calm he felt around her, and everything she had taught him.  He was a different person after meeting her, strong but with a discovered gentle side.  She had even taught him some magic, which was difficult to learn when one's heart was hard and defensive.  'Magic…' Squall thought to himself.  Still doubled up on his hands and knees, Squall looked behind him and saw the line of the circle written magically on the now scuffed up snow.  'I can still win this fight.'

Squall reached for and picked up his gunblade, and used it to balance himself in a squatting position.  He looked down at the purity of an undisturbed patch of snow and concentrated.

"I have to tell you, Squally-boy, this was very disappointing.  I learn one new thing and you have no way of defeating me?  What happened to the creative, tactical fighter that all the instructors are telling me about?  The 'man who may become one of the great generals of our age' they go on about.  Where is he, huh?  I'll tell you where:  he died, Squall.  He died the second he gave in to his heart, when he fell in love with the bitch, the incentive was gone."  Squall's heart quickened, but he did not lose his concentration.  "People like you and me aren't meant for love, Squally-boy.  We're tools of war, on this Earth for the sole purpose of destroying others.  You've lost that.  Do you understand that, Squall?"  Then quieter, so that only Squall could hear: "Do you understand that's why you're about to die?"

Seifer, still 10 feet back from Squall, raised his blade and pointed it at his opponent.  "Are you even listening to me?!"  No response.  "Arrggh!!!!"  A light began to form in Seifer's palm until it became a large orb of fire the size of his chest.  He ran forward two paces and let the spell fly with a look of triumph.  Squall, his blade now glowing with some enchanted light, let go an upward slash which collided with the oncoming spell.  The spells remained in one spot for a few seconds, battling for supremacy and bearing all their weight on to Squall.  He began to loose ground and his feet slid slowly backward towards the edge of the circle.  But he was not pushed out.  Seifer watched in awe as the ball of flames ejected from Squall's parry and flew back towards its caster.  Seifer swung in the air, attempting to mimic Squall's counter, but the spell passed through the blade easily and collided with Seifer.  There was an explosion that rocketed Seifer back well past the boundary line.  Squall, visibly worn from his mental and physical exhaustion, limped over to Seifer, who was still conscious, but barely.

"No, Seifer, that's why I won."  Then he collapsed.

A cheer erupted from the audience again, and medics ran up to aide both fighters.  Aerith ran to Squall's side.

"I can't believe you did that!  Who taught you to do that reflect spell?"

"Rin… tell her thanks for me, eh?  I think I'm going to be asleep for a long time," he answered breathlessly.

"Haha…" Aerith laughed softly.  "You have my word."  Then she leaned up closer and whispered in his ear.  "Cloud says 'Sure shootin', Leonhart'."

"Where does he come up with those stupid phrases?"

"Awww… I kinda like them," she answered and smiled to herself.  She looked over at Cloud and gave him a reassuring glance, then realized that both combatants had passed out.  She told Zack something, and both boys were escorted off the field.

"No worries, everyone," Zack shouted and attempted to calm down the crowd.  "Privates Leonhart and Almasy are both okay, their just worn out.  Neither had ever used magic in a serious combat situation before now, and they probably just underestimated how taxing it could be."  'Plus,' Zack thought, 'they beat the living crap out of each other.'

Rinoa was not satisfied with this response, and, using a quick blind spell on a few gaurds, she snuck in on the party and took Aerith's place among the medics.  Aerith then headed back to her place on the stage.

"… They will be fine, everyone," Zack continued.  It took a while to calm the crowd down, but when it finally did, he turned around and motioned Cloud and Freya to come down to the circle.  

Ansem announced to the crowd, "Our next battle will be between Privates Cloud Strife and Freya Crescent."  Murmurs spread through the crowd as the attendees contemplated why they would put Sephiroth's supposed heir against a rat from the slums.  Freya held her head high.  The two met in the middle of the same circle and had their weapons inspected by the C.I.T.

"Hmmm… Freya, your halberd is lookin' good.  Cloud…  Well I'm afraid to disappoint you, but this sword is much too small.  How do you expect to take on Freya's weapon with a sword not even as long as your arm?"  Cloud looked from Zack to Freya and to Zack again, horribly confused.  The sword was military issue, he had it on loan, and would probably continue to have it for the rest of his life.  "Here, this one is much better," he said, and his intentions were then apparent to everyone.  Zack smiled as he reached over his shoulder and took out his own, massive sword: the Buster Sword.  It was five feet in length, not including the handle, and had a width of over a foot.  There was an old myth among the students in the castle that one day Ansem forgot the keys to the drawbridge, so Zack cut open the door with his Buster Sword.  The story was obviously a fabrication, but its point was that Cloud was receiving an incredibly powerful weapon.  He took the handle in hand, and spun it a few times over his head, much to the surprise of Zack and Freya.  "Good, it looks like you can handle it," Zack said, trying to act calm.  "I don't see action much, so why don't you hold onto it for me?  It can get you out of some tight spots, you know."

"Thank you Commander…" Cloud trailed off.  Then he looked mischievously into Zack's eyes.  "But how about if I use both of them?" Cloud suggested as he sheathed the Buster Sword behind his back and took the standard issue sword in his hands again.

Zack was pleased that he would get to see Cloud dual-wielding, and said "Meh, whatever floats your boat."

"That last fight's going to be a hard one to top, Cloud," Freya said to Cloud as he jumped up and down, testing the weight of his new weapon.

"Yeah, but I'm sure we can handle it," Cloud replied optimistically.

"Okay, then, let's do this!  Fighters, to your marks!"  The friends turned their backs to each other and took their places.  "The rules will be the same as before.  Prepare your weapons!"  Freya held her Halberd in front of her, and Cloud held his standard sword in both hands, refusing to unsheathe the Buster so soon.  "Begin!"

Cloud was the only one who charged, and he charged fast.  Freya was slightly alarmed by his speed, but she wasn't much slower and parried is first attacks easily, keeping a lot of distance between them with her weapon.  Cloud continued to attack, not seeming to try very hard, but also very happy with himself.  Freya didn't know why until she realized how close she was getting to the edge.  She fixed that problem straight away by trapping Cloud's blade with her halberd, spinning the spear around her neck, and sweeping Cloud's legs from under him with the dull end of her weapon.  She then jumped straight upward, at least 20 feet in the air, and landed directly in the middle of the circle.

"You're not taking me down with a simple ring-out, Cloud," Freya informed him.  Cloud got up slowly when he realized Freya was not following up on him and laughed.

"I know, but it was worth a shot."  He picked up the sword and got into his stance.  He walked slowly toward her.

"You're always looking for an easy way out, you lazy bum."

This time Freya attacked first, with a slight jab.  Cloud parried the blade, and tried to get closer to her, but Freya would not let anyone gain ground on her, and she spun the spear around and jabbed Cloud with in the gut with the back end.

"Ugh!" Cloud gasped, and then two more times as Freya "Ug, UGH!" thrust her weapon twice more into his stomach.  Cloud would not be hit like this anymore and smacked the pole away with his sword.  He struck again, moving faster this time, and Freya was once again being pushed to the rim of the circle.  She tried the same move as before, but Cloud would not let his blade be caught, so Freya attempted to leap away anyway.

"Oh no you don't!" Cloud shouted as he leapt into the air after her, surprising everyone at the fact that he could keep up with her.  At the ten foot mark, Cloud was close enough to attempt an attack, but Freya was more accustomed to mid-air combat and she blocked the attack and put all her force into a spinning counter attack.  Cloud blocked this as well, but the force of the attack pushed him straight down into the ground.  Freya landed in the middle of the circle again and looked at Cloud, who got up much quicker this time.

'Something is wrong,' she thought.  'Cloud has been felled only two or three times all year, yet I've knocked him down twice in two minutes.'

"You bastard!" she shouted at him, obviously annoyed.  "You're holding back, aren't you?!"

"Fine, fine… I'll go all out this time, I swear," Cloud replied smiling over his shoulder.  He brushed his hair out of his eyes and placed the standard sword in his left hand.  He charged.

He slashed twice with the standard sword, which Freya was now having difficulty blocking under Cloud's full strength.  In an attempt to push him back, she spun around, took her weapon in both hands and push the pole against Cloud's chest.  This gainer her some ground, but Cloud recovered quickly, and before Freya could get back into her regular stance, he drew the Buster Sword with one hand and chopped down, cutting Freya's halberd in two clean pieces.

Freya was alarmed by this, but didn't give up.  She leapt straight up and threw down the half of the pole with no blade.  Cloud didn't follow her up this time, but instead stood very still, and knocked the stick away with a sweeping movement of the Buster Sword.  Cloud dropped the standard sword on the ground and waited for Freya to land.

Freya hadn't even landed yet, but as soon as Cloud pinpointed the spot where it would happen, he ran towards her.  Freya could do little to stop him, but she parried his first two strikes, though the second one flung her to her knees.  She tried to leap away again, but Cloud caught her leg, and in a circular motion threw her down to the ground once more.  She was lying very close to the line of the circle and had only half a halberd to defend herself.  She was about to give up.

But Sephiroth was the first one to notice it.  A giant creature had jumped over the castle wall and was going to decimate the citizens in the stands.  Cloud noticed it second and ran away from Freya to the huge beast.  Neither he nor Sephiroth could get there fast enough, though, and the huge creature with four legs stomped and bit open the bodies of half the people in the stands in only a few seconds.  They did not need to catch him however, since then the creature stopped what it was doing and turned to look at Sephiroth, as if taking commands from some unseen master.  

Sephiroth, though a great soldier, was still recovering from his wounds, and his speed was only just above that of the giant. He dodged two quick attacks, and then found it best to retreat to the stage once more.

"Run inside!  Do not waste your lives foolishly!" he shouted commands to the students who had raised their weapons.  Sephiroth's cape still encompassed his whole body like a shell.  He floated across the long field.

He reached his king and awaited instructions, though furious to have to help the man whose presence must have brought the beast, but he had to hold his façade a little longer.  He heard Ansem say to himself, "A Behemoth, here?  How utterly fascinating…"  

Noticing that his king had no sense for himself, he yelled at the other members on the stage to retreat inside.  The Behemoth, however, was chasing Sephiroth closely, and batted Cid away with a huge hoof before bending over to take Aerith in his mouth.

"Arrrrrggghhuuuuu!" Cloud shouted as he traversed through the legs of the beast and jumped upwards to slash the face of danger to his love's life.  The beast was not stunned for long, and still had the mental capacity to hit Cloud with a thunder spell, mid-air.  He crashed to the ground, smoking.

"CLOUD!!" Aeirth shouted, trying to run to his aid, but finding now way past the beast.  She looked around her; Cid was unconscious, Cloud was possibly dead, Ansem had disappeared and Sephiroth was on the other side of the Behemoth.  Everyone else had taken cover.  

Catching her scent, the beast turned around and saw her once again.  Perhaps taking her as easy prey, he raised a large, hoofed foot and lowered it down on her.  As quick as a flash, Sephiroth had run to her aide and pushed her aside, effectively taking her place under its foot.  He still had the time and speed to unsheathe his own great blade, the Masamune, and thrust it upward into the Behemoth's foot.  It roared in pain as it brought its leg back up, and stumbled down.

Aerith ran to Cloud's aide, only to find he'd gotten up on his own.  They met each other in an embrace.

"Get out of here," they both commanded at the same time.

The stood silent, until Aerith merely said, "Attack the horn." 

The beast was still kneeling, so Cloud took this opportunity to attack the horn full-force with the Buster Sword.  He had expected the horn to shatter with one swing, but instead Cloud felt that the collision had barely made any impact at all on the Behemoth.  It focused his eyes on Cloud, who stared right back into it as the great beast slowly got up onto all four legs again.

Freya, on the other hand, was sneaking up behind the monster.  She had heard Aerith's battle tip and had a plan.  She ran quickly and as quietly as she could until she was right behind it.  Freya took what was left of her halberd in hand and, with all her strength, hacked into the back of the Behemoth's knee.  It's leg gave way and the beast howled in pain.  Aerith sent a spell towards Freya that rocketed her back so she would not be crushed into the monster's weight.

Sephiroth noted Freya's plan, and finished the job, taking two very long strides and slashing the tendons of the Behemoth's other three legs.  He was not fast enough, however, to dodge the powerful thunder spell that hit him as the task was completed.  Such a spell would not usually affect the great warrior so drastically, but as a steady flow of blood washed from Sephiroth's abdomen onto the snow, he knew his wounds had reopened.

"I can handle him, General!  Take the others and get out of here!" Cloud shouted, noticing Sephiroth's injuries.  Sephiroth did not reply, but put Aerith and Freya (now unconscious from the spell) over his shoulders and ran inside the nearest building.

Though the beast was down, it was still a threat, and it kept a steady flow of thunder spells coming at Cloud.  He could not approach it.

Cloud heard footsteps crunching behind him and turned around.  He saw a very battle worn Seifer holding a gunblade in each hand.  He was barely holding onto consciousness, but had determined eyes.

"What are you doing here?  Go back!" Cloud shouted.

"No…" Seifer responded softly.  He looked at the ground and not at Cloud.  Cloud thought he saw the sparkle of a tear falling from his cheek.  "I must redeem myself!"  

And Seifer made his final charge and leapt towards the horn of the great Behemoth, crossing his arms over his chest as he prepared for his strike.  The Behemoth was prepared, and its thunder spell was dead-on, but Seifer continued though his attacking path in the air.  The Behemoth could not avoid the strike, and Seifer brought both blades across, trapping the horn between them like a pair of scissors when he pulled both triggers.  The force of the attack shattered the horn into a thousand pieces, and the Behemoth gave a great cry as it passed away.  

Seifer hit the ground with a lifeless thud.

Author's Note~

Well, I apologize to all my fans (yes, the both of you that are reading this) for the delay in writing this installment up.  I took a break for the holidays, and decided to spend my limited time at home with my friends and family rather than in front of a computer, as I'm sure you would too.   This one took longer to write, anyways, since I try to keep the battle scenes as original as possible, and battles were certainly a big part of this one.  I think the fight between Squall and Seifer turned out nicely though, don't you?  I'd also like more reviews this time.  I'm not one of those authors that refuses to post more work until I get a set number of reviews (after all, I'm writing this more for me than anyone else), but a little recognition would be nice.  Just lemme know if you like where the story is going.

I would also like to publicly apologize to the great James Joyce, whose snow scene in _The Dubliners_ I so deliberately and obviously stole.  But perhaps someday my _Kingdom Hearts_ fanfic will be considered the same level of that great piece of literature, eh?  So yeah, a little preview?

Wonder what happened to Beatrix, and why the hell Aerith came to Hallow Bastion to begin with?  And what is Sephiroth going to do about Ansem?  And don't forget about the Wutainese strike that is supposed to hit the day after the Behemoth's attack!  Sweet Lord, how am I doing to fit all that into one chapter?  And will it be cohesive?  You bet it will!  The plot continues its turn to the darker side of things in the next installment, _To Defy a King.  Let's hope Squall wakes up in time for this one, its gonna be important._


	4. To Defy a King

**4- To Defy a King**

The sunrise showered to the field with a golden light.  An endless sea of bodies was gently warmed by the new sun.  The few who remained carried their dead off to the valleys to give them proper burials.  The battle was quick, but both sides were damaged heavily.

Sephiroth still required healing, so he granted command of the coming battle to Beatrix.  While this was a battle for the self-defense of the castle, since it was such a far distance from the city, it was considered to be under General Sephiroth's command.  Beatrix was just as efficient as Sephiroth would have been, however, and the quick attack was devastating to the Wutainese.  Though greatly outnumbered, Beatrix's ambush had effectively halted the advance of Wutai's forces.  There was no more threat.

Sephiroth had given her the precise position of Wutai's strike, and she was able to attack the army very early in the morning, while they were preparing.  Beatrix led a regiment of 2,000 against a Wutianese force of nearly 5,000, but due to the timing of the strike, most of the warriors had no armor, and the mage force was already exhausted from the preparation of support spells.  A few waves of arrows and thunder spells cleared most of the threat before her troops hurtled down towards the Wutainese to finish them off.  One thousand Wutainese managed a successful retreat, but such a small force could not be a further threat to the Hallow Bastion.  Beatrix, though clear victor in the battle, walked with the weight of 1,200 casualties on her shoulders.  She had pleaded for a larger force, but Sephiroth had insisted she could win with 2,000.  Beatrix also dragged her comrades to the valley below, to bury them away from the torture of their final battle.

It was during these long trips from the battlefield to the valleys and back that General Beatrix began to think about Sephiroth's words the last time she saw him.  _Surely that story cannot be true,_ she thought.  _Lord Ansem would never betray his people in such a way…_

But Beatrix could not discover a reason for Sephiroth to lie about such a thing.  He had never indicated any interest in the throne.  And even if he had, though the people of the Hallow Bastion loved Sephiroth, they loved their king more, and they would surely condemn Sephiroth for saying such filth about their leader.

But Sephiroth had never lied to her.  Not once.  

_Perhaps… he should be trusted_.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

The changing room was thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and fear.  The Behemoth had forced all the students into cover, and it was here that they ran.  The injured were being nursed by the mage students, while anyone with a sword took turns guarding the doors.  The result of the Behemoth's attack had been devastating, 11 students had already died, and the battle was still continuing outside.

Tifa sat alone and uncomforted on a bench in the corner.

She had first intended to aide Cloud and Sephiroth in the battle.  She knew she wasn't as strong as the two warriors, but she refused to let herself stand by and do nothing as Cloud faced the most difficult battle of his short life.  That was before she noticed Aerith, though.

Tifa never knew what to think of Aerith.  They had never had a chance to talk, or to have some "girl-bonding".  Rinoa and Aerith got along well, but when around them Tifa just felt really loney, as if she had been left behind in a world of adventure and love.

_Love?_ Tifa questioned herself.  _Love… love__… love._  She found herself repeating that one word, aching to discover its hidden meaning, trying to find out what it all meant.  What does Aerith feel for Cloud, was it love?  What does Cloud feel?  _What do I feel?_  She pulled her legs into her chest and buried her head in her knees, trying to cry.

_What I feel… doesn't matter.  Cloud loves her, and that's it.  My place is not with Cloud.  My place is to protect my king._

With that, Tifa stood up and walked toward the door.  _My_ _place is to protect the king,_ she thought, and took her turn on guard until the battle was over.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

"You did wonderful out there, you know," Rinoa whispered softly, more to herself than to her unconscious love lying before her.  

Much more had happened since Squall's duel with Seifer, but she tried her best to ignore the Behemoth's rampage and the screaming students in the locker rooms and forced herself to talk only to Squall, and only about his achievements.  Somehow she thought that this would bring him back to the real world, to comfort her a little bit.

Of course, Squall had made no improvements in the fifteen minutes he had been out.  He and Seifer both had entirely missed Cloud and Freya's duel, and were even sleeping soundly through the giant beast's attack.  She looked at Squall's face, which was no longer deep in thought about anything.  Squall was always thinking too deeply about something, and this was possibly the first time she had ever seen him so peaceful.

"You know," she told him below the screams of terror, "you're beautiful when you're asleep."  She smiled to herself and turned around to check on Seifer who was—sitting up and loading his gunblade?

"Seifer?  You're awake?"

"Yes, I'm awake.  And its very comforting to know that beast is rampaging around outside and you're sitting here doing nothing about it," he scoffed at her.

"Hey hey hey!  You sit back down!  I'm the one in charge of you here, and I am not going to let you run out of here in some delusional fit of glory, okay?  You're not listening to me!" she shouted at his back as he turned towards the door and began to limp to exit.  "Gaahh!  Seifer, STOP!" she yelled, and held out both her hands in front of her in concentration.

Seifer froze magically feet from the door.  He struggled with the muscles in his face and managed to grunt out, "Release me from your spell, witch.  This is something I have to do."

"No, you're in bad enough condition right now, Seifer.  I'm not going to let you go out there.  If Sephiroth can't handle that monster, than you certainly don't have a chance."  Rinoa was a strong mage, but Seifer's will was fierce.  She could not keep him from moving for much longer.  It then that she felt a hand on her shoulder and lost her concentration completely.  Seifer fell to his knees, but continued his slow journey to the door.

"Waitaminute… Squall, you're awake?  Tell him to sit back down!" she told him, now in a muddled rage.  She was not in the mood to see anyone else get killed.

"Seifer," Squall began as he sat upright.  His rival eyed him cautiously, but did not move.  Squall reached for his gunblade and loaded it.  Seifer readied himself.

"No, Squall, that's not what I meant!"  Rinoa began, but Squall put his finger over her lips, affectionately silencing her as he stumbled over to Seifer.  The men stared at each other.

"Take this," Squall said, holding out his weapon.  Seifer, surprised, merely nodded, and walked out the door, gunblade in each hand.  Squall fell to the floor and Rinoa ran to help him up.

"Squall…" whispered Rinoa, holding back her tears as the crowd awed at Seifer's undying spirit.  "Squall, why did you do that?"

"Because, he is a soldier.  This is what he was born to do."  Rinoa took Squall's arm over her shoulder and hugged him as she helped him walk back to is makeshift bed.

"… and you?" she asked him.  He made no reply.

Seconds later, the room was filled with Seifer Almasy's familiar war cry, and then all was silent.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

The next few days were ones of extreme unrest among the people of the Hallow Bastion.  Many mourned the tragic fate of one of the best upcoming soldiers, among the many others who died in the attack.  Sephiroth, Cloud Strife, Aerith Gainsborough, Freya Crescent, and the late Seifer Almasy were honored as heroes for bringing the downfall of the great beast that attacked the ceremony that day.  More and more sightings of the heartless, as they had been so properly named my the king, were being recorded, and soldiers from nearly every branch of defense were being combined in order to protect the kingdom from these new threats.  General Sephiroth was head of the new, unnamed department.  General Beatrix and her regime had not yet returned from their successful battle.

It was under the premises of his new command that Sephiroth announced a conference in front of a large portion of the media and the general public this day.  It was, however, not the actual reason for his new speech.  Sephiroth had decided after the Behemoth's attack that Ansem must be the reason for the many deaths, and that his madness must be revealed to the kingdom.  He had immediately sent a message to general Beatrix of his plans, and instructed her to call Lord Ansem to the battle field in order to say a prayer for the dead, then await his next order to bring her troops back.  It wasn't until Beatrix received this note that she had realized Sephiroth's reasoning in sending her with so few men: a coup was in progress, and the Great General would surely need as many men to fight for him as he could get.  Sephiroth was planning to oust the king and take up the throne until he found a worthy candidate to replace him.  He would not let any more men die at the hand of a mad ruler.

Sephiroth's conference was well attended, and he was sure that that news of his declarations would reach the entire kingdom before nightfall.  He was almost positive that he was about to cause a civil war, but Sephiroth was not worried about that.  He had never lost a war.  

Guards sure to be loyal to Sephiroth were placed at all entrances to the stadium he was speaking in.  He did not have personal guards, since he felt no need for them.  His wounds had finally healed enough for him to be able to swing his sword with his full strength once more.  His agility had returned.  Only his magic abilities still needed more recovery.  

The ceremony started off as initially expected, with one significant difference: Ansem was in attendance.

"Sir," a surprised general offered to his lord, "I was not expecting you to be present this afternoon."

"I know, General, but some things are too important not to be a part of."  Ansem tried to read the face of the cold warrior standing in front of him.  "Of course, I sent a priest of some prestige to the battlefield to guide the dead.  Pity there were such heavy losses… why was it that you granted General Beatrix so few men?" he added suspiciously.

"I beg your pardon my Lord, I sent her all the men I could spare."  Sephiroth grudgingly bowed to Ansem.  When he arose, he noticed that the stage was set and the time for his announcement had finally arrived.  He would speak the truth, even with Ansem here.  _If need be, I'll kill him myself._

"Excuse me, my Lord, I must make an announcement," he said as he stared into the orange eyes of his mad leader.  He held back the urge to strike.

"Or course, of course, no apology necessary… but…"  Sephiroth, already in the process of walking to the podium, stopped and turned quickly.  "Please allow me to introduce you.  It is the least I can do for my Great General Sephiroth."

"… Yes, of course, my lord."  Sephiroth took a seat on the sole chair on-stage, intended for Ansem, and thought.  What was Ansem up to?  He knew that Ansem's actions always proved a purpose; he was a calculated man.

Ansem approached the podium.  "Ladies and gentlemen, today the Great General Sephiroth has come to speak of the growing monster problem within the Hallow Bastion.  I am here to introduce him, but also to shed some light to the people on some of the facts we know." Sephiroth eyed him carefully, hand resting on his sword.  A small creature appeared in front of Ansem, small and black like the one Sephiroth had scene in the endless catacombs of the castle.  Ansem was not the least bit surprised by it, and merely levitated it off the ground with a flick of the wrist.  It struggled, but Ansem kept it still easily.  The audience gasped as a whole.

"This is a Heartless," he explained.  "These beings who have begun to attack the city regularly have no hearts, and therefore have an extreme hunger for them.  They search dark alleys for wanderers and steal their hearts, being careful to avoid deadly light.  I have been experimenting with them in my lab and the results have been truly astonishing.

"For example, these creatures did not even exist in our world a month ago, but in the past few days we have been overrun with them, even the massive Behemoth that took the lives of many young warriors.  The question that needs to be asked is this: why are they here now?  Surely something, or some_one_ must have led them here?  I have a theory: I believe the Heartless arrive in a world due to the darkness in an individual's heart.  Every heart has a dark side to it, but it takes a heart of true evil… no, power- in order to summon the beings to a world.  These creatures have incredible power, and are not to be taken lightly.  Perhaps they even have the power to raise the dead, or to delay a death long enough in order to give a new life?"

Ansem turned behind him and eyed Sephiroth.  Sephiroth knew what was coming and quickly skimmed around him, watching the guards' reactions carefully.

"There is one man in our midst who may be the source of these Heartless, and his death may bring peace back to this Hallow Bastion.  Some nights ago, in the midst of the castle's catacombs, I noticed him disposing the bodies of two of my assistants into a hidden ravine where, he thought, no one could ever find them.  He was risen from the dead in order to come back and force his rule upon this kingdom, and my poor assistants must have discovered his terrible secret.  I'm sure a man in such a position would show no mercy."  He turned around again and stared Sephiroth in the eye, making no move.  The audience gasped and screamed and many flinched when Sephiroth slowly stood up from his chair.

"I know I would not," Ansem said at last, more to Sephiroth than to the shocked listeners.  "Come with me quietly and you will not be harmed, General."

Sephiroth drew his sword with a flash.  "I will not speak the same for you, traitor."

"… Kill him!"

Guards on all sides hesitantly approached Sephiroth.  Even those that Sephiroth believed to be loyal advanced.  'Pity,' he thought.  'Some are such fine warriors, as well.'  

Before any of the troops had a chance to strike, Sephiroth whipped the Masamune around once in a great swing and beheaded four men.  He wasted no time in advancing on Ansem.  His speed was incredible, but Ansem was no mere private.  He easily dodged Sephiroth's first slash.  The general fluidly raised his sword once more and attacked and dismembered three more guards.  They were becoming more and more hesitant to attack.

"Leave him be!" Ansem shouted to guards, and all turned and fled.  While the ruler was losing his mind, he still did not care to lose his strongest supporters.

The two most powerful men in the Hallow Bastion carefully eyed each other as a scene of panic surrounded them both.  Everyone was fleeing for their lives.

"You are losing your touch, old friend.  According to your reputation I should be beheaded by now," Ansem mocked.

"You will not escape your blame, traitor.  If I must, I will force it upon you!"  With a cry Sephiroth sprinted and attacked Ansem.  The king had set up a magical barrier to block the attack, but Sephiroth's quick strikes dissolved the shield quickly.

"Ahh… there is your strength, General," he said with a smile.

With his final assault, Sephiroth slashed at the king's legs, but Ansem jumped over it.  He blocked an overhead slash with magic and sidestepped two thrusts before counter attacking for himself.

Upon Sephiroth's advance, Ansem summoned a pillar of fire to appear around him, baking the general in its flames.  His mind was still weak, and Sephiroth could not fight back against this attack.  Smoking, he was not hesitant to retreat from his currently stronger foe.

When the fire disappeared, Ansem could no longer see Sephiroth.  He scanned the area quickly and intently until he found him sitting of the roof of a nearby building.

"Hahahaha… Come down, General, and finsh your fight!"

"No… when did you attain such power?"

"In the depths of your darkest nightmares," Ansem answered coldly and sinisterly.

"You will not get away with your actions.  If you will not punish yourself for those deeds, I will do it for you."

With these words, Sephiroth quickly limped away, fleeing into the nearby mountains.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

 "I'm a big girl, you know.  You don't have to walk me everywhere."

"No, I do.  You know that there are heartless running around all over the place.  What would I do if you got hurt?"

"Jump Tifa," Aerith replied sarcastically, looking back at her boyfriend and playfully flipping her bangs.  Cloud smiled nervously.  "You you're really not letting up on this, are you?"

"Not a bit," he replied dutifully, trudging along with this massive sword.

"Fine… I guess that means I'm going to have to tell you where I've been going, then, huh?"

"That would be nice," Cloud remarked understatedly.

"Fine," she sighed as she grabbed Cloud's hand and ran into an alleyway, where she leaned against the cold brick wall.  The sun was just beginning to go down for the evening, and the whole sky was blazing orange.  Aerith, searching for her words, looked nervously at the long shadow cast by Cloud and was suddenly scared of him.  She gasped and almost ran away, but when she looked up at the concern in his eyes the fear left her.  She had no reason to fear Cloud, right?

"What's wrong?" he caringly insisted.

"Nothing… nothing.  Listen, Cloud."  She stared straight into his eyes, afraid to look away from them.  He stared back intently.  "The first day I saw you, you know, in the bar?  I was waiting for someone.  I was waiting for a contact, a man named Cid Highwind."

"A contact?  A contact to what?" Cloud inquired.

"I'll get there… I came into town that night from my home in Baria, to the south.  I was promised a job and a place to live, as well as a prestigious education.  My family's not so rich, so I jumped on the offer, but the man I was supposed to meet didn't show up.  I had no idea how to contact the people I needed to, because aside from the name 'Cid', I didn't know anything.  And do you have any idea how many Cids there are in this city?  Its insane.

"I ended up staying in a hotel for a few days, and then I decided to check things out with the school.  I thought maybe I had already received permission to start my classes.  I hadn't, but luckily I ended up talking to Zack.  I learned that Cid was supposed to take me to Zack, so now I was back on track again, and ready to start on the work I needed to do in order to get my education."

"Wait, you were supposed to talk to Zack?  Are you being placed under military service or something?" Cloud asked nervously, almost to afraid to mention the possibility of his love in a battle with Wutai.

"No, just let me finish.  That evening I was taken to my first meeting.  I met with Zack, Cid Highwind, Laguna Loire.  Cid's the king's head of transportation, and Laguna is the head of foreign affairs.  The last member of the group was… Lord Ansem."

"You've been meeting with Ansem?!  Aerith, he's the king!  What are you working on?  Its gotta be pretty important  if you're working with the king himself."

"I know, I was really shocked when he first walked in.  The others hadn't even told me what was going on yet, so I just sat there silently and tried to figure out why I was so important to them.  Finally, Ansem told me.  Cloud, you know that I'm good with magic, right?  That's how they first found out about me, through my magic scores from my old town.  Most specifically, they thought I was abnormally good at a type called Dimension Magic: changing the sizes of things, messing with people's heads, even teleporting.  And since I'm still young, they thought I would still be improving."

"But why is this important, Aerith?  What does the king want with that kind of magic?" Cloud questioned.

"Well… Ansem's been obsessed with other worlds lately.  He doesn't believe that we're the only one, and he wants to visit more.  I know it sounds crazy, but he's done a lot of research on it, and after looking at it I have to say that I'm a believer.  So now that we think there are different worlds out there, we have to figure out how to get to them.  Cid's project has been to make some kind of ship that can get out of our world's atmosphere.  Laguna's job is to learn how to communicate with the residents on the other world, and set up friendly relations with them.  With all the money we're spending on traveling there, we won't be able to afford a war with them, especially with Sephiroth in exile.  Zack's job was to find me, but he's got a good head on his shoulders and has pretty much been the voice of reason at the meetings in case the rest of our ideas are too far fetched.  My job is to find a magical alternative to Cid's space ship.  With that I've been working directly with Ansem, or I was."

"Was?  What do you mean, Aeirth?  Does Ansem meet with you guys anymore?"

"He does, but he's not interested in Cid or I anymore.  He's insisting that the heartless are the answer to other worlds.  He doesn't think that they're from here, so he's been studying them intently trying to figure out how they got here.   Laguna got a notice from him today that he would be out on the field studying today, and to cancel the meeting.  We decided to keep with it anyway, so we can further explore _our_ ideas."

"Wow, Aerith, that's quite a story.  Why didn't you tell me before?" Cloud asked, a little hurt.

"I'm sorry, but they made us promise never to tell anyone.  And I could be in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out that I told you, so keep it quiet, okay?"  Cloud and Aerith exchanged nods.  "Oh no!  We have to get there before it gets dark!  C'mon, Cloud!"

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

_X year, X month, X day:  Though the experiments themselves are yielding no answers to my immediate question, the research certainly is fascinating.  I have come to many conclusions, but most importantly, I have decided that the Heartless are not from this world.  Of this I am certain._

_Their very essence of life is so much different than anything I have encountered before.  Some creatures live off the flesh and blood of others, even ourselves, but none that I have known thus far have lived off the heart, the very essence of another creature.  This must mean they are not of this world._

_The have no natural predators, and no established prey: they will prey on anything they can.  I have not yet discovered what lures them to their prey._

_X year, X month, X day:  Sephiroth has seen me disposing of the bodies of my assistants.  He will undoubtedly attempt to stop my research.  The research must not stop._

_X year, X month, X day:  I have decided that the Heartless can sense the hearts of others.  The stronger the heart, the more heartless are attracted to it.  It seems only one of an incredibly strong heart, like myself, may control them._

_I still have no idea where they are coming from, but they are multiplying.  This matter will now be my top priority._

_X year, X month, X day:  Sephiroth has been dealt with.  He will return, and he will undoubtedly attempt to usurp the throne, but he will fall under my power.  With the Heartless at my side I am unstoppable._

_X year, X month, X day:  I will disband my team assigned the task of finding a way to another world tomorrow.  Deciding to skip the meeting for field research, I ended up finding something very intriguing in my castle catacombs: and elaborately decorated door.  It was in a place where before there ad been no door, I am sure of it.  The most relevant aspect of it, however, were the Heartless gradually coming in from the crack underneath.  This is how they are entering this world._

_I opened the door without hesitation, eager to discover what lay beyond.  What I found was… beautiful, and indescribable, even for a scientist such as myself.  I will try to find the words at another date.  Its contents were cryptic, however, and I do not yet know how to take this door to the world of the Heartless.  This matter I must attend to in private.   _

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

The discussion was going quite well without Ansem present.  Aerith and Cid discussed possibilities for travel in detail while Laguna and Zack discussed possible diplomacy problems.  Cloud, not allowed inside the room, acted as doorman for the evening.

He must have done a very poor job of it.  After less than two hours, there was a great thud against the door.  The team consisted of three battle hardened warriors and one very talented girl, and the did not hesitate to prepare themselves for a battle.  Cid ran for his spear, Zack his new sword, and Laguna reached into a pocket to pull out a handsome pistol.  Aerith readied herself and formed a barrier around the others.

The door flew open, and Cloud soared inside and skidded on the ground.  Only the fiercest of men could defeat Cloud so quickly.

"Please disarm yourselves.  I'm not here to hurt anyone," Beatrix said as she flipped her hair to the side and sheathed her sword.

"L-l-l-lady Beatrix?" Laguna managed to stutter before immediately throwing down his pistol, and jabbing Cid in the ribs until he dropped his spear as well.  Zack put away his sword and ran to greet his superior.

"General?  What are you doing here?" he asked, obviously nervous for being involved in a meeting without the King's approval.

"Relax, Commander, I did not come all this way to break up your meeting.  There is a matter that must be urgently discussed."  She quickly walked to the table, sat down and crossed her legs.

"What did you do to Cloud?" Aerith asked, casting a few cure spells.

"Yeah… you @*#$ed up the kid real bad.  I thought he was supposed to be good?" Cid rudely responded as he put out a cigarette on Cloud's jacket.

"I put him to sleep.  He needs to work on his magical defenses," the General replied.

"Is that all?" Laguna asked.  "Oh, then I can take care of this."  He walked over to Cloud, and smacked him in the face four or five times until he came to.

"Uughh… what happened?" he responded groggily.

"Can we hurry this up?" Beatrix insisted, annoyed at the great lengths being taken for these four to revive their fallen comrade.

"Wait a minute," Cloud mumbled, finally starting to come around.  "What's she doing in here?"

"Cloud, please," Laguna said, "The adults are talking.  Go on Beatrix, what's so important?"

They all made themselves comfortable.  Cid sat on a stool while Laguna and Zack sat on the table.  Aerith took Cloud's head in her lap and tried to help him out of it while she figured out what was going on, too.

"Now that I have your attention… I'll just come out and say it: Ansem is mad."  Her small audience let out a little gasp, but no one said anything.  "He has become obsessed with the Heartless, as I am sure you all have figured out.  He has killed because of his obsession.  Sephiroth found out, and attempted to tell the public and to usurp the throne, but Ansem turned the plan around and exiled Sephiroth.  I was off somewhere else and was not there to support him.  Nor did I have enough troops, even if the opportunity would have arisen.  I, and now all of you, are the only ones who know of this."

"But…" Aerith asked, "why did you come to us?"

"Simple, you have been with Ansem over the course of his madness.  The people love the King, but do not know him… you are the only ones who would believe me."  Beatrix looked around and eyed her supporters.  A ragtag group, but strong and determined.

"I say we follow the broad," Cid announced after a period of silence, lighting up another cigarette.

"We need Sephiroth back," Cloud volunteered.

"My thoughts exactly," Beartix said.  "But how?"

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

Sephiroth sat bleeding in a cave on the northern-most part of the mountain.  He had not gotten far before he collapsed.  The battle with Ansem had caused his wounds to reopen.  The rage against his former lord built up, and he wished Ansem was there with him so he could strangle him.  Ansem would not get away with what he had done.  But Sephiroth also knew that without aide he would not last through the night.

With that thought, a small Heartless appeared from under the ground and stared into the Sephiroth's brilliant green eyes.

"… Get me food," he said, and the Heartless turned and walked off to obey his command.

Sephiroth smiled.  This dance was not over.

_So how's it turning out?  I'm really sorry it took so long to this chapter up, but I have more important things that fan fic-ing to deal with for a little while.  But with life beginning to calm down, I picked up the old story and went with it for a good ten pages.  The quality of the first part ain't so great, I know, but I think it picked up again near the end, after I got into it again.  The story's really starting to get going now.  I hope you all enjoy the allegiances forming, and be sure to shout out some ideas: I do listen to those, you know._

_So, what's up for the next chapter?  To be honest I don't know yet, so I can't give one of those fancy "Next time on Batman" outros.  There's a good three or four chapters left in the story though, I've just got to figure out how to tie this part to the end.  But don't you worry, I'm a clever boy and I'll figure it out before too long._

_And one last thing before I head off, be sure to check out my short Cowboy Bebop fic entitled _What Would You Give.  _It sure is better than any of this_ Kingdom Hearts _stuff.  Its rated R for one bout of strong language.  Check it out and thanks in advance!_

_Peace out, bros._


	5. And the Heavens Shall Rain Forth

**5- And the Heavens Shall Rain Forth a New Breed**

A rush of energy washed over the gentle peacetime air. Order turned to chaos. Rationality, to fear. Confidence to cowardice.

Only the Heartless did not have enough sense to run for cover. Instead they stood outside, arms up as if embracing the madness that rained down on them all. Most of them died, and because of this the people of the Hallow Bastion prayed and prayed for the meteors to continue.

But that is not to say that the humans were safe. Whole districts of the city were wiped out, killing thousands of cowering men, women, and children. The army was halved, the civilian population quartered. The castle was rained down on as much as the rest of the city, but repairmen and mages within castle walls used all their efforts to keep the roof standing. Eventually the word got out. _Everybody head to the castle._

Even more died en route. The number of people that managed to survive the meteor shower was a mere shadow of the once great city. But Ansem protected his people with every last ounce of his strength, ushering as many survivors into the walls of his castle as he could. The door had opened, and he would need survivors.

Cloud watched Squall's eyes move behind closed lids.

"I know, I'm sorry to have to wake you, but there's something we have to talk about."

"Ugh… fine," Squall grunted, leaning up in his bed. His duel with Seifer had left him nearly ruined, and he wore only bandages covering his abdomen. When he was finally awake enough for Cloud to continue, he uttered a nearly inaudible, "what?"

"Leonhart, listen," Cloud replied and closed his eyes, pointing at the ceiling with a bare hand.

"What are you talking abou-"

"Shh! Just. LISTEN."

In the overwhelming silence there was what sounded like small explosions rattling off in the distance. Squall had been unconscious for days and was only then beginning to come to.

"What's going on out there?" he asked quietly, yet intently.

"Meteors. Thousands of them." Cloud began to stare at the ceiling.

"… Meteors? Are we at war with Wutai?"

"No… they're just meteors."

The young men sat and thought, listening to the booms and muffled sounds of women screaming. Squall broke the silence.

"What did it?"

"… It has to be either Ansem or Sephiroth," Cloud whispered, now afraid of being overheard.

"… Sephiroth?"

"I'm going after him. Tonight. I… I want you to come, Squall." Cloud would not look his friend in the eyes. He had a bad feeling about his plan, but it was something he had to do, and something he could not do alone.

"… I won't leave Rinoa. Not with all this going on. You should know that."

"I do. I can't explain it, but I need you to come. I know you probably can't even fight… but something bad's gonna happen if Sephiroth can fully recover."

Squall had only heard second-hand stories of Sephiroth's exile, and was not sure he could so hastily accept the accusations against his general.

"What about Ansem, Strife?" Cloud looked at the ground.

"What if… what if Ansem hasn't done anything? What if it was all Beatrix and Sephiroth? You know there has to be something between them. They're close and distant at the same time, something is off. I can't trust Beatrix, Leonhart, I just can't."

"… I won't leave Rinoa."

"God DAMN it Sqaull! This is more important than puppy love!" Cloud, looking at his friend's waist, watched Squall's fists tense up, then relax. "… I'm sorry. We need someone to lead us. I can fight… but if we're taking on Sephiroth, we need someone to strategize."

Squall, still recovering from Cloud's outburst, took deep breaths before responding: "We?"

"Me, Freya, Lulu, and Rikku. We can't do this without you, Squall. But if we have to, we'll die trying."

"… And Rinoa?"

Cloud stood up and slowly walked towards the door that exited the infirmary. He never looked back towards his friend, but stopped in the doorway and quietly responded, "She'll be safe here. The castle is the only safe place to be now."

"… Come get me when you're ready."

* * *

Ansem looked out over his creation. The turn of events so far had been wonderful. Fate had been playing directly into his hand.

Thousands of Heartless, not only small ones but large monsters as well, stood awaiting his orders in the catacombs of the castle.

"Children," he announced to his shadowed crowd, "the time of our supremacy will soon be at hand. Soon the research will be complete, and soon you will have complete rule of this world as repayment for your cooperation through this difficult time." He smiled as all the mindless creatures dutifully awaited his command. His speech was lost on them, but he could not help himself. "I, myself, will continue on to better things; more luxurious worlds. Soon I will pass through the door, as so many of you have. Soon I will become like you: without need of a weak human body. I will become corporeal, an ageless mass of wisdom and strength with the power to transfer myself between lost worlds with the slightest thought. I will become God Eternal, with the power of shadow to aide my cause. I will become Fate, to rule over every heart, and stamp out the light until only shadow extends endlessly over all worlds. I will rule the ultimate power of darkness. I will rule Kingdom Hearts." His face beamed as he took his coat from one of his subjects and turned to the elevator. Almost as an afterthought, he instructed his followers, "At dawn, consume them all."

* * *

"Laguna? I didn't know you were going to come with us," Cloud announced when he walked into his dorm room. Laguna sat at Cloud's desk while the rest of the strike team, Freya, Lulu, and Rikku, sat on the bed. 

"Cloud, nice to see you," he said as he stood to give the soldier a salute. "Actually, I won't be able to join the assault. I just came to give you a last minute update on Sephiroth's most recent whereabouts." He extended a map to Cloud and pointed out the particular cave.

"How did you manage to find him?" Rikku asked, still seated.

"Well, Sephiroth hasn't really been seen since the incident, but based on the direction he headed after his short duel with Ansem and the seriousness of his wounds, he can't have gotten any further than that cave."

"But… he is Sephiroth, Laguna. I'm sure you've heard how he walked back to Hallow Bastion from Wutai even after being impaled on spears," Freya spoke up, obviously shaken.

"Just legends," Lulu offered coldly. "Sephiroth is strong, but he is still human."

"I heard no one has ever seen him bleed," Rikku mumbled.

"That's nonsense," Cloud took control of the situation. "If he's never bled, then how did he get impaled? Lulu's right, Sephiroth is legendary, but he's still just a man. Besides, I'll take care of Sephiroth, you guys just have the meteors and the heartless to worry about."

"Wait, Cloud, you're going to need everyone's help," Laguna corrected, "we have to go into this knowing we can win. This will end tonight. Sephiroth is weak, and as we speak Beatrix is out collecting information to use against Ansem. By the time you are back, Ansem will no longer be ruling Hallow Bastion. So Cloud, did you… uh… talk to—you know?"

"Yeah, he said he'd come with us. I'm not too sure about him, though. He was afraid to leave Rinoa and he's not in very good shape. I want him to come with us, but we don't have enough people to be able to keep a good eye on him."

"That's not exactly true," Laguna said. The team turned to look at him with interest. "Well, I couldn't just send a bunch of rookies with no real combat experience to fight the top general of Hallow Bastion, no matter how skilled you all may be. The last member should be here pretty soo—" There were three quick knocks at the door. "Well, there you go. C'mon in!"

The door opened to reveal the slowly aging team member, spear cocked at his side and cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Well, I've gotta say, you kids are a bunch of crazy bastards."

"Nice to see you again, too, Cid," Cloud replied sarcastically.

"I didn't know you could fight, old man," Rikku smiled.

"Hey, who you callin' 'old man'?"

"Okay, so everyone's all set?" Laguna searched the room for objections, and continued after he found none. "Captain Strife, go get Squall so you can head off. And good luck to all of you."

* * *

"Ah, Lord Ansem! I've been looking for you. Is there anything wrong under the castle?" Beatrix exclaimed as she chased down her ruler down the long corridor, crowded with huddling townspeople.

"No problem at all, General," Ansem replied without looking her way. "Is there any matter that requires my attention?"

"Yes, sir. I need your permission to open up the north wing for the citizens. We are running out of room in the other wings."

"Ah, of course, General," he answered, but then immediately stopped walking. Beatrix turned to face him, a look of slight confusion on her face. "But I want you to attend to them, yourself. I'm afraid we may have an unwelcome guest before the night ends."

"… A guest, Lord Ansem?" An alarm went off inside Beatrix's chest, and she knew the answer before Ansem gave it.

"Sephiroth has recovered. Have a special team ready at the north wing. He will attack my quarters first."

* * *

The team set out at the first break in the meteor shower. Cloud took the head, followed by Cid and Freya, then Lulu, then Rikku, assigned with guarding the wounded Squall. They trekked slowly and steadily through the mud, snow, and slush, heading north towards the cave where Sephiroth was suspected of being. Tension was thick, and the group traveled in silence but for Squall's direction. They had been walking for three hours and had seen no signs of any Heartless.

"Around the ridge we should be able to see the cave, Captain. Assuming there is a concentration of Heartless in the area, we should assume Formation C," Squall announced.

"Thank you Leonhart," Cloud responded. "Assume Formation C, people." Cloud stood where he was, and Cid and Freya spread out to his sides. Rikku and Squall stood close together behind them, weapons out. Lulu stood in the back, ready to cast offensive spells.

"Okay everyone… forward!" They marched over the top of the ridge and gazed down on the valley below. Cloud's heart pounded in his chest like a drum. Small meteors and snow fell all around them as they crept around the ridge. Peering around, Cloud spotted the mouth of the cave, but no heartless.

"Incoming!" Rikku shouted over the meteors. The heartless came from above, dropping down off nearby cliffs as new breeds swept in on wings from above.

The party held formation tightly, effectively holding back the inhuman force. Cid and Freya wielded their spears effectively, keeping the heartless back from Lulu, who was using thunder and fire spells to knock the winged creatures out of the air. Rikku and Squall held the rear, and the occasional crack of the gunblade echoed off the mountains. Cloud batted away his foes effortlessly as he inched his force to the cave.

"Why the are there so many heartless around here!" Even while fighting and screaming, his cigarette never fell from Cid's lips.

'I knew it… it has to be Sephiroth,' Cloud thought. Then he saw him, a shadowy figure, deep black in a sea of white running from the cave in the direction of the castle.

"Leonhart, you're in charge! Get everyone back safe!" Cloud slashed two more heartless and ran off.

"Wait, Strife, you're not going alone!", but it was too late. Cloud wouldn't turn back, even if he had heard Squall. Besides, the heartless were going to be hard enough to fight off without Cloud, and Squall couldn't spare another soldier. 'Think, Squall, keep your head!' he thought to himself.

"Tighten up formation! NOW!" The group closed in, cutting off the gap in the rank left by Cloud. Squall scanned his surroundings. There were too many heartless, and they kept flowing in from the cliffs above. He couldn't just sit there and wait for Cloud to come back. Even if Sephiroth was gone, they must press on to the cave. They had to find out if Sephiroth was behind the attacks.

"Aaahh!" Rikku screamed and dropped her daggers. Squall spun around and slashed a jittery heartless in half as Rikku clutched her leg and rolled into the center of the formation.

"Are you alright!" Squall shouted over the clash and roar of battle.

"Its… so… so cold…" Rikku trailed off. Blood from her leg seeped onto and melted the snow around her. Melted the snow… melted the snow…

"Lulu! Give me a fire spell straight up! As big as you can, on those cliffs!" Lulu looked shocked.

"But with all the snow-"

"I know, Lu. Everyone move out. Fast! Freya, get Lulu out of here!" Squall put Rikku over his shoulder as the group sprinted toward the cave. Cid took the lead and cut down any heartless in their way.

The smell of sulfur and ash filled the air as the spell was released. A huge fireball rocketed upward towards the cliffs as Freya jumped with Lulu in her arms. The fire blast impacted the snow and rock and a sea of mud, water, rock, and the charred corpses of heartless rained down into the small valley where the party once stood, and then flowed out towards direction of the castle, taking every last of the heartless with it. The danger now passed, Squall laid out Rikku on the snow.

Cid felt her forehead and pulse. "She's doing okay, but we need to get her out of this cold."

"The cave," Squall commanded his troops.

* * *

"I'm worried about them. They've been gone too long."

Aerith sat with her friend Rinoa, and her superiors Zack and Laguna, in Cloud's dorm room, safe in the warmth of the castle.

"It's okay, they were in for a rough trek. They shouldn't be gone much longer," Zack offered. A meager comfort, but they were all worried.

"I don't like this at all," Rinoa offered. "I don't like how they just all ran off to capture the most powerful man in the world, and you helped them. I don't care how good a fighter Cloud is, this isn't right."

"Calm down, Rin. You know the boys: they would've ran off to do this no matter what. At least they have Cid with them." Aerith put a friendly arm around Rinoa.

"… I don't like this at all." A silent stream of tears fell from Rinoa's face. The rest listened to the crash of meteors dissipate.

"Maybe there's something we can do," Aerith muttered to herself.

* * *

"Wait!"

His cries did nothing. Sephiroth just kept running, entirely ignorant of his pursuer.

"I will not be ignored!" Cloud shouted, furious at the man he used to admire. He jumped, launched himself into the air over Sephiroth, landing five feet in front of him. Sephiroth stopped, and stood up straight, staring straight into Cloud's eyes.

"You are a fool, boy." Sephiroth's rasp had grown more prominent after his rare loss in his brief duel with Ansem. His cape, now dirty and ragged, once again surrounded him entirely, his sword hidden.

"I can't let you go back to the castle, General. I have too much there."

"You are ignorant. Blindly devoted to your lord. Ansem is the cause of Hallow Bastion's destruction. My death," with these words, he laughed softly, "will not save this world. So leave me, leave me and go delude in your false sense of grandeur somewhere else. I have business to take care of."

Cloud said no words, but drew his sword slowly and elegantly. Cloud readied himself.

Sephiroth flashed forward, the Masamune clashing with the Cloud's Buster Sword before he even knew it was unsheathed. Sephiroth was stronger, and pushed Cloud to the ground, then lifted his blade for the killing blow. Could rolled out of the way of the downward thrust and sprang to his feet. Twirling his sword around his head, he charged toward Sephiroth's side. In one swift movement, Sephiroth brought the Masamune over and blocked Cloud's strike, then, with a twist of his blade, sent the Buster Sword hurtling through the air. A flick of Sephiroth's wrist and a spurt of blood coated the Masamune and the quick summoning of a pillar of fire sent Cloud's body rocketing backward, landing in a smoking heap in the snow.

"You are talented, boy, and it would be a shame to kill you."

He wiped the blood off of his blade with his cape and continued running toward the castle.

* * *

The cave was empty, except for a primitive bed of moss. The cave was larger than it seemed from the outside; the entrance was about ten feet high, but on the inside the ceiling of the cave reached to 30 or 40 feet. Rikku was set in the bed while Freya inspected the cave further.

"This wound is strange," Lulu told Squall. "Its physical, but… magical at the same time. I can't purify it. She needs a white mage."

"Okay, thanks." Squall inspected it for himself. Everyone agreed that they couldn't mend the wound. Either Aerith or Rinoa could do it, or any talented mage in the castle, but the castle was too far away. Rikku might not be able to make it the whole trek back. Whatever was to be done, it needed to be done quickly. Squall got to his feet and paced. He needed to think.

"Arrrgh!" Freya's body shot from the depths of the cavern and skittered to the ground next to Rikku.

"Arms, everyone!" Squall shouted. Lulu summoned a shield around Squall and Cid as Rikku and Freya lay on the ground.

"in' behemoths! Two of them!" The beasts lumbered up from the shadows, their horns lit like beacons on a sea shore, emanating an ironically humble yellow glow.

"Remember, everyone, hit the horns. Lu, no thunder spells, it might heal them." He cast a look back as Freya began to stumble to her feet. Rikku was shivering. "Okay, everyone concentrate on the left one, Lu, try to keep that other one as far away from us as possible. Watch out for lightning bolts!"

Lulu wasted no time, launching an ice spell onto the floor, causing the second behemoth to fall to its four knees. Cid charged and jumped off the wall, going straight for the horn of the first behemoth. It reared up on its hind legs and batted Cid out of the air like a fly. Cid hit the ground hard, but recollected his thought to keeps strategizing.

"The legs first!" Freya shouted over the battle, and she ran under the behemoth and hack on of its legs. For her bravery she was hit with a thunder spell which stunned her long enough to be kicked away, into Cid who was just managing to get up.

Lulu was effectively managing to keep the second monster at bay until she was hit by a thunder spell herself. Though her immunity to magic was high, her concentration on the behemoth was broken and it charged full force and knocked her to the wall. Squall stood, gunblade drawn, staring down twin behemoths. He quietly and calmly assessed the situation. Even together, they didn't have enough strength to kill both creatures. They didn't have time to be fighting, Rikku was shivering more and more uncontrollably. And even if they did have the time, it seemed like only Squall's gunblade would be powerful enough to break through the horn. Squall chanted and touched his blade, which began to glow in the same white light. He stood with his sword propped over his head. He intended to get his team out of this cave, and he intended to do it soon.

"Cid! Get Rikku! And go behind me, I want them both to focus on me!" The behemoths crept toward Squall, like lions stalking their prey. "Then I want you and the others to get out!"

"Got it, Chief." Cid ran to get Rikku as Lulu ran for the exit. Freya shouldered her weapon and walked to Squall's side.

"I'm helping."

"Fine, stay close to me and wait for my signal." Freya nodded. She closed her eyes and concentrated as an immense energy grew up from inside her. Leaves and grass began to spiral around the two in a gentle updraft. Squall waited and watched.

They worked in unison, as Squall thought they would. He could see their slight concentration and sense the energy gathering around their horns. Squall looked up and saw scattered concentrations of energy appear over their heads. Four bolts cracked down on top of them and Squall reflected them all, angled them up and forward to the cave's ceiling above the behemoths.

"Now, Freya!" Freya released her spell and the random debris caught in her wake rose up and formed the shape of a giant serpent-like dragon. The dragon rushed the behemoths, then turned and rushed straight up into the ceiling at the exact spot the lightning bolts struck. The force of the blows caused the ceiling to crumble and quake. The monsters charged forward towards the exit as quickly as Squall and Freya. A flurry of thunder spells surrounded them as they ran, and Squally managed to effectively dodge or block them all. He could see the mouth of the cave crashing down and jumped and dove through the falling rocks, rolled on the snow, then turned around ready to face the monsters, should they have survived the cave-in. There was only silence.

"You did it… impressive." Lulu's voice was the first he heard.

"While wounded, that's nice work, kid. But we gotta run, the kid's not gonna last much longer… wait, where's-"

Squall wouldn't move. He stood and stared at the rubble waiting for it to move, but no movement came. He picked up a halberd out of the rocks.

"Freya… I'm sorry Freya, but we need to leave." He jabbed the dull end of the weapon into the rocks, a meager memorial at best. "Rest in peace, friend."

* * *

Many guards refused to fight him, either because they knew he was too strong or because they had lasting allegiance to him. The ones that did fight did not last long. Sephiroth stormed through the castle looking for the one man he had to kill to bring peace back to his world. He knew Ansem would not hide from him, he was probably the only person alive who did not fear Sephiroth. So Sephiroth hacked his way to the tower, to Ansem's personal chambers.

A tall staircase, a long hallway, and 13 casualties later, Sephiroth had made his way to his former lord's room. He kicked in the door without hesitation.

"Now now, General. There is no need to become violent." Ansem was standing in his room quite casually, reading one of his many books.

"My Liege, I apologize for inconveniencing you," Sephiroth sneered in a mock bow. "But I'm afraid I come with a matter of some import."

"Yes, I'm sure you do." Ansem looked gravely into the eyes of his old friend. "You must realize, General, that the time for peace has passed. The world has lived out its usefulness, and nothing can save it now. The meteors were the final sign. This world has been connected, and soon it will be liberated."

"I will stop you. I will make you pay for your crimes."

"But stopping me will stop _nothing_. Haven't you realized that yet? This cannot be reversed, and the coming of the heartless would have happened with or without my presence. There is no altering fate, Sephiroth. You must only accept it, for fate favors those who worship it." There was a glint in Ansem's amber eyes.

"You truly have gone mad, lord," Sephiroth said as he cast his cape aside and readied his sword. "I wish I could regret cutting you down."

"Hahaha… perhaps you will, Sephiroth. Perhaps you will. But for now, I'm afraid I will have to leave you in the hands of someone else. A very capable someone, of course."

"There is only you and me Ansem!" Sephiroth shouted as he charged forward, only to find his attack blocked my a beautiful silver sword. "Beatrix…" Sephiroth clenched, "you do not have the strength to kill me!" Sephiroth used all his strength and sent her flying to the other side of the room. She calmly kicked off the wall and landed on her feet and began to charge her fellow general. Sephiroth turned and slashed at Ansem, who teleported to the other side of the room.

"Haha! One fight at a time, Friend!" Ansem gleefully shouted.

Beatrix was as fast as Sephiroth with her sword. Her overhead slash was blocked and countered, and she ducked the Masamune's fatal blade. Her thrusts were side stroked with some effort on Sephiroth's part. His first challenging sword fight in ages.

"You are as good as I was expecting, Lady," Sephiroth offered, "but this contest ends." He jumped at her, swinging his huge blade from the side. She used all her strength to block the blow, then Sephiroth disappeared. By the time Beatrix knew he was gone it was too late; he had appeared directly behind her, gashed her thigh and relieved her sword from her hand. He held her up by the neck and threw her to the wall, then faced Ansem. "One fight at a time," Sephiroth said.

"Well done, General," Ansem congratulated. "I knew you would win, of course. But I'd known of your little pairing and couldn't have both of you around to rise against me. Soon, however, it will be of no matter. If you'll excuse me…" And with that the king disappeared in a magical light.

"Lady, where did he go?" Sephiroth turned to his former ally.

She picked herself up from the ground and regained her dignity. She had already wrapped her wound in a discarded piece of cloth. "The catacombs, to release the heartless. Go."

"Get the citizens out of the castle," Sephiroth commanded, and flew out the door.

* * *

"Are you ready, Rinoa?" Aerith asked. Their plan was far from a simple task, but Aerith believed they could do it. If they could find their friends with magic, Aerith believed that she could open a portal to bring them back. It was tricky, but dimension magic was her specialty. "Just concentrate on Squall…"

The girls closed their eyes, seated on the ground around candles and some magical runes. Laguna and Zack watched silently. In their minds the girls could see white. Snow. Yes, snow. There were some figures, shapes they couldn't make out. Three shapes. They gradually came into focus. They were sad, but determined. Tired, but relentless. The identified Squall by the heavy weight they could sense from his shoulders.

"Keep concentrating…" Aerith said quietly as she started chanting. A void was produced between the girls, and Zack and Laguna could see into it. On the other side was a small group trekking through the snow. One of the figures seemed to notice them…

"Look. Over there," Lulu announced. "There's some sort of light… I can't tell what it is."

Squall stopped and closed his eyes. Without turning around he said, "Its Rinoa. Lets go."

They walked over and investigated the portal. One by one they walked through.

"Oh my God, Squall, I'm so happy you're alright…" Rinoa said as she embraced him. He hugged her back unemphatically. Appreciative of her concern, but with too much weight on his shoulders to be overcome with relief.

"Where are the others?" Zack asked nervously. There was silence. They all stood there in the small room, silently grieving. Squall broke the silence.

"Aerith, you need to look at Rikku, she's injured."

"She's not injured, kid," Cid responded quietly. "She's gone."

Aerith began to cry. She was the only one. Everyone else in the room was a soldier. Even Rinoa had faced losses before in the Great War, and even more recently. They were all saddened, their friends' lives had been tragically cut short. They had all seen Seifer cut down. There were already thousands of casualties. Death was a part of this war with the heartless. With Sephiroth, or Ansem, or Beatrix. Whoever was orchestrating the attacks. Through her sobs, Aerith began to shout.

"Where's Cloud! Why isn't he with you! Where did he go!"

Squall's response was simple: "I don't know." He left the room. Rinoa began to chase after him, but stopped short of the door.

"Wait, Aerith, lets look for Cloud. He could still be out there wandering in the snow."

They cast their spell again and were thrust into a familiar world of white. There was snow, there was red… blood. They followed the bloodstains to his body, lying still in the snow. Zack brought him back.

Aerith's tears wouldn't stop. "His arm… his arm… I can't fix this… his arm…"

Laguna placed a fatherly hand on Aerith's shoulder. "Calm down," he said quietly, to her only, "he's alive. We have that much."

* * *

Sephiroth sprinted down the stairs into the catacombs below. He found Ansem standing next to a mysterious door.

"I won't let you sacrifice all these people to your sick experiments, Ansem."

"General, I believe I am beyond doing only what you allow me to do. I don't think you understand the power I have in my heart. All these heartless are subject to me, and only to me. I have limitless power."

"You think power is the manipulation of mindless drones? Ha! You will never achieve true power, Ansem. That right is reserved for the brave, not the cowardly." Sephiroth paced back and forth as he spoke, keeping a distance between himself and the king. Ansem stood still.

"It takes great courage to lose yourself in the darkness, General. Great courage indeed. Here," he said, placing his hand on the elaborate wooded door, "allow me to show you!"

As he opened the door, a flood of heartless washed out, flowing around Ansem like a river around a boulder. Sephiroth drew his sword and began to cut down the endless stream of them, but there were too many. The force of their numbers pushed him back, and he fled up the stairs toward the courtyard, surrounded by them.

There were citizens in the courtyard, having taken shelter from the meteor shower, and they gasped as they saw their once impeccable general in a tattered uniform leaping from the catacombs of the castle. They screamed as they saw the army of heartless follow him.

"Sephiroth!" Ansem screamed from the castle wall above. All action stopped as the heartless remained immobile, and Sephiroth watched Ansem. The people in the crowd were rooted to their places, unable to take their eyes off the conflict. "Your violation of your exile will not be tolerated."

Sephiroth was raging within. He remembered back to the cave. He had been able to control them, then. He focused, concentrated his heart on the rage within and commanded them all from the depths of his soul… _Kill Ansem… Kill Ansem… _

The heartless all turned around and faced their former master. Ansem was shocked to see that Sephiroth had gained the same power he had… no… Sephiroth may be able to command them, but Ansem was their only master here.

"How dare you bring this army of heartless into my kingdom!" With a snap of his fingers, all the heartless in Hallow Bastion fell to dust. The crowd cheered for their king. "And as for you, my former General… I will defeat you myself!"

Sephiroth leapt onto the castle wall and smiled. "You finally regain your sanity, my Lord."

* * *

_Guess what? I'm not dead! Though I'm sure everyone who ever liked my story is a senior citizen by now, perhaps a fresh update will breathe new life to this old piece of work. Hope you liked it. It was actually written in two parts, one part this afternoon, the other part in the middle of the night, probably about a year ago. Considering, I think its surprisingly coherent! Alright, so next time…_

_Cloud's arm is repaired, and he walks a thin line between man and metal. His friendship with Squall is strained after their losses in the mountains, and Cloud's desire to settle the score with Sephiroth becomes obsessive. The people mourn the losses of even more soldiers and civilians. Plus, finally an uninterrupted showdown between a very healthy and fully healed Sephiroth and Ansem. Who will the people rally behind? Where do Cloud and Squall's loyalties lie? All in chapter six:_ Duel_. Oh yes, its all winding down. Two more chapters, people._


End file.
